OCONOMOWOC — Willard “John” Counsell, former baseball player, coach, and office employee for the Milwaukee Brewers, as well as the father of ex-Brewers manager Craig Counsell, passed away Tuesday at age 83.
John Counsell
According to his obituary, he was an Oconomowoc native who enjoyed “an idyllic childhood in Lake Country, growing up on Lac La Belle.” He attended school at St. Jerome School before becoming a standout athlete in three sports at Oconomowoc High School, including being a member of the 1959 state baseball championship team. In the lead-up to the finals, the Oconomowoc Enterprise monitored how the OHS players kept busy as the tournament unfolded, Enterprise Sports Editor Mark Hutchinson wrote in a retrospective on the team in 2017.
Stay up-to-date on all the latest southeastern Wisconsin news with a print subscription.
“I don’t know about all of them, but I do know that Mark Cloutier ate 13 hamburgers Saturday,” the newspaper reported. “John Counsell and John Kleinschmidt heard a commercial on the radio telling of a sale on hot dogs and root beer. The price was nine cents for the combination, and they took advantage of it.”
Counsell was inducted in the OHS Athletic Hall of Fame earlier this year, with the school district saying in an Instagram post that he also played football and basketball at OHS from 1957-1960. He was 3rd Team All-State at wide receiver in 1960 and also was part of the Little 10 Conference Champions in 1959 for basketball.
Get updates from the editors of GMToday.com sent directly to your email inbox:
He then went to the University of Notre Dame, where he later coached, and signed with the Minnesota Twins in 1964 and played in their minor league system. He also worked in the Milwaukee Brewers organization.
“He found peace in simple pleasures — fishing on Lake Oconomowoc, playing cribbage with friends, spending time with family, attending basketball games, volunteering, and cheering for Notre Dame,” his obit said.
Counsell is survived by his children, Jennifer (Michael) Hughes and Craig (Michelle) Counsell; his six grandchildren, Brady, Jack, Finley, Hayden, Rowan, and Devyn; and his brothers and sisters, Mary Stump, Susie Sorenson, Ellen Swaine and Charlie Counsell. His wife, Jeanette, preceded him in death. He is further survived by loved nieces and nephews and cousins.
A celebration of Counsell’s life is slated for Saturday, January 10, at 9:30 a.m. for visitation with a Mass to follow at 11 a.m. at Holy Family Parish, 4825 N. Wildwood Ave., Whitefish Bay, WI 53217.
In lieu of flowers, donations in John’s name to St. Joan Antida High School https://www.saintjoanantida.org/support, are suggested.