Vincent William Gage Jr.

Vincent “Vince” William Gage, Jr., 92, passed away peacefully on September 12, 2026 at home surrounded by family members.

Born on July 31, 1934, in Wausau to Vincent W. and Elvera (Schmidlkofer) Gage, Vince was the youngest of six and the recipient of much love and companionship from his siblings, the foundation of his warm and playful personality.

After graduation from St. Norbert’s High School, De Pere, WI, in 1952, Vince entered military service and studied Hungarian at the Army Language School in Maryland. As an Intelligence Officer he interviewed scientists and engineers during the time of the Hungarian Revolution. Upon discharge, he earned his B.S. in Biology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and then joined Scientific Products as a salesman of laboratory equipment and supplies. While making a sales call at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield, he met the love of his life, Eleanor “Ellie” Czarnezki. They married in 1962 and started their family the following year.

During this busy time, the father of five, convinced Ellie to buy a farm and raise ginseng. With help from his family and in partnership with his brother Gerald, Vince became a hobby farmer.

After retiring from his sales job, Vince partnered with Rick Lohr, owner of Pine Valley Golf Course. Vince's son, Greg, assisted in transforming the ginseng farm into the “back nine” of the course. Vince continued to be actively involved until well into his late 80s.

Vince, a fan of all WI sports teams, relished playing and coaching basketball. He also played football during his high school years and continued golfing until his 90s. In addition to sports, Vince enjoyed hunting and fishing with his father-in-law, Ed, brothers, sons, and grandkids. He also cherished traveling with Eliie, his "sweetsie", exploring exotic locales like the Galapagos Islands, the Amazon, Costa Rica, and Machu Picchu, as well as U.S. destinations such as Alaska, Hawaii, Florida, and Arizona.

Vince was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Eunice (Toby) Whitely, Eileen and Janet Gage; and brothers, Gerald (Janice) and Robert.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Ellie; children Paul (Sheryl) Gage, Maureen (Steve) Bohling, Amy (John) Johnson, Joe (Kelly) Gage, and Greg (Kris) Gage; grandchildren Greta, Hunter, William, Owen, Grace, Noah, Christopher, Lily, Claire, and Jack.

The funeral Mass will be celebrated 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Sep 26, 2026, at St. Mary Catholic Church, Marathon. The Rev. Msgr. Joseph Diermeier will preside. Visitation will be Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service all at St. Mary Catholic Church, Marathon. Burial will be in St. Mary Cemetery, Marathon.

Special thanks to Fr. Joe, the deacons, and staff of St. Mary’s Parish. Also, the caring people at Compassus Hospice and Cornerstone Caregiving who helped him in his final days.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Mary’s Parish for Special Projects.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.petersonkraemer.com