Alfred P. Thomann, 88, of Fort Atkinson, died suddenly on Sunday, January 11, 2026, at St Mary's Hospital in Madison of kidney failure.
He was born on June 9, 1937, in the Town of Brooklyn, Green County, WI, the oldest of four sons of Paul and Leona (Gilbertson) Thomann. He was baptized with his mom and three brothers on January 20, 1952 at home, and confirmed in the next year's confirmation class.
Al and his family owned and operated a family Century Farm on the banks of the Sugar River on County X in Green County. They raised chickens, milked dairy cows, harvested crops, etc. on their farm and those of family and neighbors. He attended schools in nearby Attica, Monticello, and graduated from Belleville High School in 1955, to participate in agriculture class. Al enjoyed sports, especially wanting to play baseball, but could not while being on the farm. He worked hard and learned to be very resourceful and handy in many trades from his dad. Al attended the UW Madison short course in agriculture, as well as attempting to enter the US Air Force in 1960 before a medical discharge prevented pursuit of service. A career in manufacturing was started at Federal Refrigeration (Industries) in Belleville, WI, and then at Duraform in Windsor, WI. Al's craftsmanship and talents can still be seen in the last known wooden silo in Green County, which he disassembled and restored after damage from a farm equipment accident, as well as his work on the Walworth County Fair Grounds grandstand while at Duraform.
After meeting his future wife at dances in Green County, Carolyn (Dalton) and Alfred were married on August 9, 1969, at St Joseph Catholic Church in Fort Atkinson, WI. They would make the town, a middle point between their jobs at the time, their home and were blessed with one son, Rodger, on August 11, 1970.
Al continued his career as a machinist at Jamesway Manufacturing / Butler in Fort Atkinson, including in their experimental shop designing new farm products, until a layoff in the early 1980s. While off work, he added a two-car garage with a room above to their home, following finishing of their garage and basement in the 1970s.
Al resumed his career at Norland in Fort Atkinson. After a short time, he began to craft commercial signs in the Fort Atkinson area for a small sign shop. Al also returned to Jamesway, then J-Star, for several years. He enjoyed crafting ductwork and installing HVAC systems for Fort Heating for several more years. Between all those labors of craftsmanship, he enjoyed helping others with construction projects, specially fabricated parts, and restoration of autos. His great pride was restoring a 1920 Dodge Brothers touring car from a rusty shell in the 1980s, winning many show awards. He also assisted Carolyn in her teacher and advisor roles at the Palmyra-Eagle School District for 41 years until 2011.
Interests of Al included history and current events; gardening; motorcycling; collecting coins old cars, and model cars; attending fairs, swap meets, and community events, sports - especially baseball; Wisconsin's Brewers, Packers, and Bucks; and local college and high school teams from the schools he attended and those affiliated with family and friends. Al was generous with his time, talents, and treasure to assist others. He also loved to camp and travel, having been to 49 states (missing Hawaii), Canada, and nine countries in Europe. The best trip was to see his family's home farm and relatives in Switzerland in 1991. Al enjoyed spending time visiting with family and friends.
Al is survived by his son, Rodger P. Thomann, of Fort Atkinson; brothers Raymond Thomann of Belleville and Leo Thomann of Monticello; brother-in-laws Eugene (Kathleen) Dalton of Georgetown, Texas; Terry (Sharon) Dalton of Akron, Ohio; Dennis Dalton of Orlando, Florida; Edward (Tracy) Dalton of Hoffman Estates, Illinois; and many beloved nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, cousins, other relations, and many good friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Leona, November 26, 1987, and Paul, September 20, 1988; his wife of 56 years, Carolyn N. Thomann, December 4, 2025; brother Marvin Thomann, November 24, 2025; brother-in-law Daniel Dalton, March 21, 2017, sister-in-law Marcia Thomann, July 3, 2022; and nephew David Powers, October 20, 2024.
A Christian Memorial Service will be held on Tuesday, January 27, at 12 p.m. at the Zwingli United Church of Christ Church, 416 E Lake Av, Monticello, with Rev. Peter Strobel as celebrant. Burial of Al will follow in Highland Cemetery, Monticello.
Visitation will be Monday, January 26, from 4 to 6 p.m, followed by a brief celebration of life and prayer, each.at the Grace United Church, 1635 Janesville Av., Fort Atkinson; and at the Zwingli UCC Church in Monticello from 11 a.m. until 12 p.m. on Tuesday, January 27.
The celebration of life and Zwingli service will hopefully be livestreamed and recorded. While exact links are not yet available contact the Dunlap Memorial Home at https://www.dunlapmemorialhome.com/listings, the church at https://www.zwingliucc.com/, or Rodger at rpthomann@netscape.net and they will be shared when available.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in support of his passions in education and learning in the trades, veterans, equality and freedom, nature, those less fortunate, or another remembrance of your choice.
The family wishes to thank the Fort Atkinson EMS, Fort Atkinson Hospital ER team, and the Madison St Mary's ICU, PCU, and surgery units, and chaplain for their efforts to help Al.
Dunlap Memorial Home in Fort Atkinson is assisting the family.
www.DunlapMemorialHome.com
