Greetings! Col. Jerry Joseph Kowal, 84, of Menominee, Michigan, passed away on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, in Green Bay, WI, at Aurora BayCare Medical Center.
Born on November 10, 1940, in Menominee, Michigan, at St. Joseph Hospital, Jerry was the son of the late Harry and Cecile (Boufford) Kowalewski. His early years were spent in Goodman, Wisconsin, before his family settled in Marinette. He attended Lourdes High School, which is now known as Catholic Central High School. During his teenage years, Jerry taught himself the drums and began collecting pinball machines.
Jerry pursued his education in history at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and served in the National Guard.
As a professional drummer, Jerry was honored with an induction into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame for his work with the Starlights. He also recorded a 45 RPM record with his band, the Black Knights.
During his twenties, Jerry established several teen clubs in Appleton, New London, Hortonville, and later Oshkosh, hosting iconic performances by artists like Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, and the Everly Brothers.
In 1965, Jerry married Mary Porto from Menasha, Wisconsin, and together they raised four children: Dan, Karen, Sarah, and Jessica. The couple divorced in 1992. He was briefly married to Yvonne Newby of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. They wed in 1997.
As a graduate of the Dale Carnegie Sales School, Jerry served as the sales manager at radio station WAGO. He purchased a neglected mansion on Ryf Road west of Oshkosh, transformed it into Wisconsin’s first antique mall, and later converted it into The Mansion Supper Club. Jerry also became the editor and publisher of Yesteryear Newspaper, situated in the former Chief Oshkosh Brewery.
Jerry attended the Wisconsin Auction School in 1978, which began his illustrious career as an auctioneer, earning him the honorary title of Colonel. Significant Oshkosh auctions in the 1980s include the contents of the Raulf (Plaza) Hotel and Theater and Wilson’s Music Store, the annual EAA auctions, a televised breweriana auction at the Chief Oshkosh Brewery, and a charity auction for the Christine Ann Center. He bought the old Place 2B on North Main Street, naming it the Fox Valley Auction Center. He later ran weekly new merchandise auctions at the Westward Ho, held estate auctions, and various antique auctions that brought people to Oshkosh from all over. He taught advertising and sales techniques in Wisconsin, and later, Florida, auction schools.
Jerry expanded into real estate as a broker and landlord in Oshkosh and owned rental cottages on Silver Lake near Wautoma, Wisconsin. An active member of the Winnebago County Historical Society, he had donated restored antiques to the Grand Opera House.
Jerry enjoyed being an antique collector, dealer, and appraiser. He often took on the role of an unsolicited business consultant wherever he was. He made it his business to know the owner. Ever the entrepreneur, he had many projects, ventures, and real estate holdings in his lifetime, including selling a patented rust remover on QVC.
Jerry was supported through his business endeavors by others, namely his ex-wife, Mary, and childhood friend, Mike.
In his “retirement,” Jerry moved to Kissimmee, Florida, where he continued auctioning, opened a thrift shop and flea market, and played in different bands for fun. He frequented antique car shows and listened to bands at Old Town. Jerry enjoyed many trips to Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula to visit his family.
In his lifetime, Jerry collected opera glasses, mechanical slot machines, vintage pinball machines, coins, and World War II, circus, railroad, and Wisconsin brewery memorabilia. From the stage (and offstage) as an auctioneer and drummer, he was quite the entertainer and the king of one-liners, slogans, and “million-dollar ideas.” Jerry’s vibrant persona reflected influences from the Three Stooges, Abbott and Costello, and W.C. Fields. He once sold a one-hundred-dollar bill for $120 at auction due to the lighthearted frenzy he created with the crowd.
Jerry moved in with his sister, Pat, in Menominee, Michigan, in 2021. He was warmly welcomed by Jerry’s niece, Diane Dulak, and her husband, Joe, and their family who live in the area. As a lifelong man of faith, he was an active member of Resurrection Catholic Church. He and Pat regularly visited the Menominee Senior Center and Salvation Army in Marinette, where they enjoyed meals and activities together. He was thrilled to rediscover Mickey Lu’s BBQ, a favorite from his younger years.
Prayer written by Jerry Kowal
Thank you for the day I start
Thank you for every beat of my heart
Thank you for every breath I take
I am sorry for my sins and my mistakes
Please help the lonely, the sick, and the dying
and give the desperate the will to keep trying
Thank you, Lord, for our country that’s free
Let it be free for eternity.
Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful day
Let me serve you in every way. Amen
Jerry is survived by: His sister Patricia (Kowalewski) Winter (Peshtigo), his four children Dan Kowal and wife Yumi Ono (Franklin, North Carolina), Karen (Kowal) Zeuske (Hartland, Wisconsin), Sarah Kowal and her husband Bill Peterson (Clayton, Wisconsin), and Jessica (Kowal) Haven (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), grandchildren Ben Zeuske, Clara Kowal, Nick Zeuske, Joseph Zeuske, including Morgan Peterson, Hope Rieger (Peterson), Aaron Rieger, and great-granddaughter Sofia Rieger.
Jerry was preceded in death by his parents and son-in-law, Daniel Zeuske.
Services for Jerry will be held at a later date. Donations in his memory can be made to the Salvation Army in Marinette, Wisconsin. Cadieu Funeral Home is assisting the Kowal family with arrangements. His ashes will be laid to rest at the Forest Home Cemetery in Marinette, Wisconsin, where the Kowalewski ancestors (his great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents) are buried.
As Jerry would say, “Away we go with a brand new show!”
