The Honorable John D. Koehn, retired circuit court judge for Door County, passed peacefully surrounded by family on July 21, 2021. He was born on September 22, 1936, to Lester and Dorothy (Armstrong) Koehn in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. He graduated from Sturgeon Bay High School in 1954. John served in the Army until 1958, after which he attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison. John graduated from college at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. John attended night school at John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois, and graduated from law school in 1967. In 1971, John and his family moved to Sturgeon Bay where he began working for a local law firm. In 1988, John was elected circuit court judge of Door County. He retired from the bench in 2000.
John is survived by his wife, Lois (Grassel), daughters and their spouses, Edith (Kyle) Peter and Christina Koehn (Randy Rusch), and grandsons, Daniel, Colin, and Corey Peter. John is also survived by siblings Charles Koehn, Marilyn (Greg) Warburton, Andrea (Robert) Bullard, and Philip (Lauren) Koehn, brother-in-law Gerald (Sally) Grassel, and many cousins, nephews, and nieces. He was preceded in death by his parents and in-laws, Jim and Bernadette Grassel, and Anne Grassel.
A military service will be held at Bayside Cemetery at 10 a.m. on September 11, 2021. A celebration of life will be held at Cherry Hills Golf Course in the Greenside Lounge Clubhouse (north side of Dunn Road), from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on September 11, 2021. Donations in John’s memory may be made to AMVETS Post #53 (PO Box 183, Sturgeon Bay), the Peninsula Symphonic Band, the Algoma Community Band, and Door County Meals on Wheels. Forbes Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
