John Anthony Serio

John A. Serio, age 82, of Ojibwa, WI passed on peacefully at home after seven and a half years of dialysis treatments on Friday, January 16, 2026.

John Anthony Serio was born December 4, 1943, in Milwaukee, WI the son of John and Angeline (Patti) Serio.  John was raised in Milwaukee and graduated from high school there.  John worked in Milwaukee for the Falk Manufacturing Corp. and Harley Davidson, solidifying a love for motorcycles.  John joined the U.S. Air Force on June 17, 1963.  John would spend over three years of active service with the Air Force and would be honorably discharged on April 13, 1967.  John earned the Vietnam Service Medal with one Bronze Star, National Defense Medal, Air Force Good Conduct Medal and Small Arms Expert and Marksmanship Ribbons.   Following his military service, he met and married MaryAnn in 1968 and they were blessed with three children.  John met and married his second wife, Linda, in Aurora, CO in 1983.  John would add to his life two stepchildren who he raised through this marriage.  They owned and managed a bar called the Casual Lounge while he also worked as a civilian base crash/rescue firefighter at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, CO.  He would retire and lived in both Walsenburg, CO and Apache Junction, AZ.  While living there, he met Cathleen Hepburn and the “third time is the charm” romance began in 2013.  John and Cathleen were united in a commitment ceremony in 2014 and made their home together in Apache Junction.  They purchased a cabin in Radisson, WI where they would spend their summers.  On July 9, 2019, John and Cathleen were married in Hayward, WI at an outdoor celebration at Shues Pond.  John was an avid outdoorsman and lived a large full life, making friends wherever he was located.  He enjoyed hunting for elk, mule deer, antelope and whitetail in Colorado, Arizona and Wisconsin.  He was an excellent chef and he loved to teach classes on sausage making from the wild game he harvested.  He also enjoyed trips on his motorcycle, boating, fishing, traveling, and singing karaoke.  He was a member of the Christian Motorcyclist Association and was an NRA firearms instructor.  John was a man of a strong faith in his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

John is survived by his wife, Cathleen; three children, John (April) Serio, Jennifer (Brandon) Nelson, Christine (Robert) Moore, all of Colorado Springs, CO; two stepsons, Jeremy (Jima ) Copp of San Diego, CA, Matthew (Alison) Hepburn of Prescott, AZ; one stepdaughter, Cassandra Kucewesky of Colorado; thirteen grandchildren; several step grandchildren; and several great grandchildren; three siblings, Carmello (Patricia) Serio, Margaret Serio, both of Mesa, AZ, Joseph Serio of Oconomowoc, WI; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, infant Joseph and Sebastian Serio; one sister, Josephine Snow.

A memorial service will be held for John at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at American Legion Post #303 in Winter, WI.  A time of gathering will be held from 10:00 a.m. until the service at the Legion Hall.  Following the service, a celebration of John’s life will continue at the Legion Hall.  Interment service and military honors will be held for John at noon on Friday, May 29th, at the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery near Spooner, WI.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Tunnels to Towers Foundation, www.dogood.t2t.org. 

Online condolences may be left for John’s family at www.bratley-nelsonchapels.com.

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