Jim A. Carl

Jim Carl was a loving and devoted husband, father, and grandfather who leaves behind a legacy of selfless giving.

The oldest child of Edward and Linda (Grasmick) Carl, Jim was born to teenage parents at the close of WWII. Eddie was in the army and stationed near Tonopah, Nevada, where he and Linda welcomed their first-born son; the small family returned to Wausau when Eddie completed his military service. Jim, a life-long resident of Wausau, attended Grant Elementary, Horace Mann Junior High, and graduated from Wausau East High School in 1963.

After graduating high school, Jim began working at Employers Mutual Insurance, which later became more well known as Wausau Insurance, and enlisted in the U. S. Navy. Although Jim requested to go to Vietnam two times, God had other plans for him. He was stationed in San Diego and Kodiak, Alaska –many of the stories and antics were never told, but Alaska forever remained in his heart as one of the best places on Earth. After serving his country, he returned to Employers, where he began a life-long career. Jim worked as a forms analyst and retired when Liberty Mutual bought out Wausau Insurance.

At Employers Insurance, Jim began dating his future wife, Helen Zdrazil. The couple were married in 1968 and raised two daughters, Tiffany (Luke) Francois of Middleton and Justine (David) Hildebrandt of Eau Claire. During their long and happy 54 years together, Helen and Jim sought out adventures and lived with God at the center of their family.

Throughout his life, Jim held an unwavering faith in God. He read the Bible, cover to cover, countless times. Jim loved adventure, travel, and reading. He and Helen traveled extensively throughout the United States and visited many countries, usually via cruise ship. Nothing beat a good car ride–Jim took great pride in his cars and often measured road trips by the miles he traveled. Over the years, he and Helen drove from Alaska to Maine, Florida to California. Jim was an avid reader and researcher and loved to learn; he was especially intrigued by science.

And more than anything, Jim gave. He gave gifts of love, time, money, wisdom. One of his final acts of giving was to gift his body to UW-Madison’s Body Donor Program, where his body will serve in the training of health care professionals including physicians, occupational and physical therapists, and physician assistants.

Besides his daughters, Jim is survived by the lights of his life, his five grandchildren: Kennedy (22), Lucas (20), Jacob (17), Matthew (13), and Elliana (9). He is also survived by several brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, as well as many nieces and nephews. He leaves behind special friends, relatives, and neighbors: Mary Jo; Mary and Jerry; Mavis and Doug; and Ron and Garnett. He was welcomed into Heaven by his loving wife, parents, twin younger brothers, Dan and David, along with several friends and relatives.

Jim’s family extends gratitude to the loving staff at Davita Dialysis, along with Dr. Abrego; to thorough and compassionate Dr. Badger, Dr. Oswald, and oncologist Dr. Onitilo. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to DaVita Dialysis of Wausau in Jim’s name directly, or the family will donate any memorials to DaVita Dialysis of Wausau.

A celebration of life is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Monday, December 30, 2024, at Peterson-Kraemer Funeral Home, 1302 Sixth Street in Wausau. Reverend Joy Nelson-Jeffers will officiate. The family will receive friends and family starting at 11:00 a.m. until the time of the service. Desserts will follow.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.petersonkraemer.com