Stanley C. Marx

Stanley Clarence Marx, age 80, passed away peacefully on March 9, 2026, in West Bend, Wisconsin.

A Memorial Service for Stan will take place on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. St. Paul Ev. Lutheran Church with Rev. Traci Maass officiating. A visitation for Stan will take place on Saturday, March 28, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service at 12:00 p.m. Military honors will be conducted by the Mayville American Legion Post #69. Inurnment will be at Graceland Cemetery in Mayville.

Stan was born on April 14, 1945, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, son of Milan and Rosalie (Lochrer) Marx and his life’s journey took him far and wide — from the fields of Fort Benning to the hills of West Point — and back home to Mayville, Wisconsin.

Stan’s greatest story began in junior high, after his family moved from Milwaukee to Mayville. There, on a school bus to a basketball game, an eighth-grade boy spotted a seventh-grade girl named Kay Ann Zimmermann, and the two fell in love young and stayed that way. Stan and Kay were married on November 16, 1968, in Mayville, and built a life together that spanned more than 56 devoted years. Kay preceded him in death, and there is little doubt that Stan has found her again.

Stan is survived by his two daughters, Deborah (Chad) Thums of Madison, Wisconsin, and Michelle (Jason) Henry of Hartford, Wisconsin, and his beloved grandson, Nicholas Thums — who could always count on Papa to be in the stands, whenever he took the baseball field. Stan also leaves behind his sister, Suzanne (Randall) DeBlare of Green Bay, Wisconsin. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Kay, his infant son, John and his siblings Judith, Patricia, and John.

Stan enlisted in the United States Army in June 1964, and his military career was one of his greatest sources of pride. He reported to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for basic training, where he was quickly recognized as one of the top trainees of his cycle. From there, he moved to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he trained as an artillery field surveyor. As an airborne volunteer, he was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia, for jump school — because Stan was never one to shy away from a challenge. In April 1966, he was honored as Division Soldier of the Month for the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. That summer, he was selected to teach freshman and sophomore cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York — a remarkable distinction. Stan was honorably discharged in May 1970, and he carried his service with quiet pride for the rest of his life.

After the Army, Stan built a second distinguished career in manufacturing. He joined Mayville Metal, starting as a draftsman and working his way up to master production scheduler over many years of dedication. Later in life, he brought his characteristic work ethic to Fleet Farm in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, where he worked in the plumbing and electrical sales department, and to Neuman Pools, also in Beaver Dam.

But if you really wanted to know Stan, you needed to see him on the water. An avid and passionate fisherman, he and Kay made their home for many wonderful years on Fox Lake, Wisconsin, where Stan logged countless hours fishing off the pier and drifting on the pontoon. In retirement, they built their dream home on Crystal Lane in Mayville, surrounded by the community where their love story had started decades before.

Stan and Kay loved to travel together — from weekends up in Minocqua to wintering in Estero, Florida, to any destination with a nearby casino. Camping was another cherished pastime, and some of Stan’s happiest hours were spent with family and friends gathered around a fire or at a picnic table, cards in hand. He loved a good sheepshead game, and the laughter those evenings brought were a hallmark of life with Stan. Stan was a devoted Wisconsin sports fan, proudly rooting for the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Wisconsin Badgers through good seasons and bad. And no matter how far the drive, he would load up the car to watch his grandson Nick play high school baseball — and in later years, he found a way to be there even from his living room, streaming every college game he could find.

Those who knew Stan knew him as a man of few words — quiet, steady, and composed. But get to know him well enough, and you’d discover his dry sense of humor, which had a habit of emerging at just the right moment. He had a gift for keeping a perfectly straight face, leaving you to wonder whether he was being serious or pulling your leg. Most of the time, the answer was a little of both.

Stanley C. Marx — soldier, husband, father, grandfather, fisherman, and friend.

He lived with purpose, loved with devotion, and left the world a quieter, funnier, better place.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the St. Paul Church Roof Fund, https://www.stpaulmayville.org/giving