Jeffrey Scott Lenz, 54, of Spooner passed away peacefully on May 28, 2019 after a battle with cancer.  

Jeff was born in Freeport, Illinois on April 8, 1965 to David Lee Lenz and Rose Ann (Nesemeier) Tracy. He was an active young boy who was always into some type of mischief. Wherever he went trouble seemed to follow. A 1984 graduate of Dakota High School, Jeff worked for Lena Builders, now Quinn Construction, in Eleroy, Illinois. He then worked for Iroquois Foundry in Browntown, Wisconsin before ultimately becoming an auto mechanic. He enjoyed cars and engines and could talk for hours about jobs he’d done and ways to modify engines to gain more horsepower. On December 31, 1990 Jeff married Denise Schindler. Together they had two children: Kathleen Ann and Jacob Jeffrey.    fter a second diagnosis of cancer, Jeff relocated to Spooner to be closer to his mother and stepfather. There he met longtime girlfriend, Jennifer Girard, who would also become his caregiver. Her love and devotion to him and his well-being gave him strength. In the hardest of times she kept him going. Jeff loved all things outdoors. Be it swimming, camping, boating, snowmobiling, motorcycles or ATV’s, Jeff was always game. His true love though was fishing. He could often be found in his fishing boat on one of the many lakes around Spooner. In his last months, when his health would allow, he would spend as much time as possible on the ice, augering holes and dropping lines. 

Jeff is survived by girlfriend and caregiver Jennifer Girard; his children, Kathleen (Noah Rucker) Lenz and Jacob (Jennah) Lenz; stepdaughters Dustine (Heath) Marty and Daryce (Jason) Ceslok; brothers Todd Morden, Craig (Bina) Lenz and Christopher (Michael Forest) Morden; stepsiblings Greg Tracy, Shannon (Brad) Hudson, Colleen Russell and Deborah Gerke; stepfather Gary Tracy and numerous in-laws, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and cousins. He is preceded in death by his parents. Jeff’s final resting place will be Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens in Freeport, Illinois. 

Appleyard’s Home for Funerals in Rice Lake, WI is in charge of the arrangements.   The family would like to thank Jennifer’s parents, Mel and Fritz Meacham, for opening their hearts and home to Jeff. They would also like to thank the staff at Marshfield Medical Center – Rice Lake for the exceptional care and comfort they gave Jeff over the last few months and especially the last days. Knowing he was in good hands provided them a great deal of peace.

Last Update: May 29, 2019 3:57 pm CDT