James Abbs

James (Jim) Howard Abbs, 82, passed away suddenly on March 7, 2024 in Philadelphia. He was
born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin (WI) on August 12, 1941. Jim grew up on a dairy farm in
Eldorado, WI and was a true country boy who loved to fish and read. Jim attended the one
room Crescent School in Lamartine Township and began high school in the city of Fond du Lac.
Not liking the city experience, he transferred junior year to Rosendale High School and
graduated in 1959. After high school, he held a variety of factory jobs at Green Giant, Mercury
Outboard and Dumphy Boat and worked as a milk tester at the Dairy Herd Improvement
Association. In 1960, Jim decided to join the Marines but was told the Navy was a better choice
for his interests, so he joined the Navy and enrolled in the Navy Electronics School. Boot camp
and electronics training were at Great Lakes Naval Station and following completion, Jim was
assigned to a Navy destroyer (USS Colahan) in Long Beach, CA. To get to California, Jim bought
a 1953 Cadillac 2-door hard top for $500, and drove 2600 miles from Chicago to California along
Route 66. He served 3 years and 9 months, stationed on the USS Colahan and later on the USS
Cunningham as an electronic fire control technician with rank of 2 nd class petty officer.

In 1964, he began his academic career at UW-Oshkosh where he was on the debate team and
worked at the fledgling radio station. He immediately began his doctoral studies at UW-
Madison starting in cybernetics and earning his Ph.D. in speech physiology in 1970. He was first
tenured at University of Washington and then later at UW-Madison from which he retired in
2008. At UW-Madison, he was director of the Speech Motor Control Lab and the Microbeam
project. In addition, for many years, Jim served on the medical school admissions committee at
UW-Madison representing the Department of Neurology.

Jim was always an avid fisherman and environmentalist. He began flyfishing in the late 1980’s.
Jim loved the small wild lakes of central Wisconsin where he could cast a line from his Hobie
kick boat. For over 25 years, he mixed this avocation with his academic skill set by publishing,

editing and writing articles in assorted newsletters and book chapters on fly fishing and lake
preservation. He was an original member and participant in forming the Badger Fly Fishers in
the Madison, Wi area. He was vice president of communication for the Federation of Fly Fishers
(FFF) as well as publisher and editor of the FFF Quill. He served as a county and regional
director on the Wisconsin Association of Lakes (WAL) and was co-editor of the Lake Connection
publication. In 1995, Jim began working on developing a prairie on his 4-acre property on
Peppermill Lake in Adams County, Wi. He was president of the Peppermill Lake Association and
was instrumental in establishing a local lake district. In retirement, he volunteered for Habitat
for Humanity and established and directed a Restore in Mauston, WI, as well as served as Board
President for Adams and Juneau counties.

He also loved studying history, including family history. Jim’s major interest was the civil war,
and he was particularly proud that his namesake was a relative who fought and was captured at
the battle of Shiloh and who participated in Sherman’s march to the sea with the 18 th Wisconsin
regiment. Involving family history, Jim researched and corresponded frequently with relatives
in the United States and England, and was very proud of the genealogical tree that he created
for his family.

Jim is survived by his wife Roxanne DePaul of Philadelphia, children Thomas Abbs (Milica
Markovic), William Abbs (Colleen Boselli), and Elizabeth Abbs (Arash Sarabi) and grandchildren
Ella, Luca, Maxwell and Yara James. Jim will be dearly missed by his brother Ward (Joanne) of
Hartland, sister Charlene Reitz of Eldorado, and brother Brion of Green Bay. Other loving
survivors include many nieces, nephews and cousins. Preceding him in death were his parents,
Howard Abbs and Florence (Markheim) Abbs and brother in-in-law Gene Reitz. A memorial for
Jim will be held in Wisconsin.