Jeanne Metzig

September 30, 1924 - April 20, 2017

Jeanne Metzig passed away peacefully on April 20, 2017, at Evergreen Sharehaven in Oshkosh. She was 92. Jeanne was born on September 30, 1924, on a small farm in Ionia, Michigan. She was the oldest of five children. She was an active 4-H member in her girlhood, and the organization awarded her a trip to Michigan State University at the age of 14. No one in her family had ever been to college, but Jeanne returned from East Lansing determined to attend. Four years later, she was back on campus, this time as a student. She earned her room and board by waiting on tables and working in the kitchen—appropriate work for a home economics student. During her junior year, she met Quintin Metzig, a veterinary student who also worked in the cafeteria. By spring term, they were going on two dates a day. Jeanne received her college degree on June 8, 1946, and married Quintin that afternoon, in a wedding dress she sewed herself. The pair moved to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where they worked to build Quintin’s veterinary practice and start their family. They had six children by 1959, along with a practice that served Winnebago County farmers around the clock. Clients came to the office regularly, and Jeanne used their visits as an opportunity to teach her children the art of hospitality. Jeanne was dedicated to her family and her community in equal measure. She was the first woman president of Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and a lifelong supporter of AAUW and Planned Parenthood. In the 1960s, she organized a PTA at Oshkosh High School (to the mild chagrin of her high-school-aged children). She never lost interest in social justice. In her later years, she volunteered to help former inmates successfully reintegrate into the community. In 2013, she and Quintin were awarded the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation's Volunteer of the Year Award for their six decades of service to the city they loved. In addition to her civic contributions, Jeanne enjoyed cooking, entertaining, gardening, and traveling. She and Quintin traveled to many countries during their 67-year marriage, including Japan, where they learned to grow shiitake mushrooms. Jeanne put two cups of lard in every pie crust, with no qualms, and her apple pies could fetch as much as $75 at local Service League auctions. Jeanne is survived by six children and their spouses: Karen and Fred Roed, Susan and David Elbing, David and Jan Metzig, Kathryn and Curtis Radford, Peter and Barbara Metzig, and Daniel and Marianne Metzig. She is also survived by 21 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and sisters Peggy Cusack and Helen Mary Van Dyck. She was preceded in death by her husband, Quintin Metzig; her parents, Roy and Iva; siblings Robert and Lillian; and twin great-granddaughters, Morgan and Maggie Main. The family would like to thank the staffs of Evergreen Sharehaven, Generations Hospice, and Dr. Eric Duwell. Memorial contributions can be made to the Jeanne & Quintin Metzig Fund at the Women's Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation 230 Ohio St. Oshkosh, WI 54902, or to the Metzig Conservation Fund, also within the Community Foundation. A visitation will take place on Friday, April 28, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Fiss & Bills-Poklasny Funeral Home at 865 S. Westhaven Drive. Oshkosh, WI 54904. Visitation will also be held at the church on Saturday from 10 am until the time of service. Funeral services will take place Saturday, April 29, at 11 a.m. at Peace Lutheran Church at 240 W. 9th Ave. Oshkosh, WI 54902. Interment will be at St. Peter's Cemetery in Zittau.