Lance Volkman

Lance Volkman, 64, passed away peacefully in the early morning of January 17, 2026. He was born November 20, 1961, the last born of the late Nolan and Ethel (Henke) Volkman. He was baptized and confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Black Creek.

Lance was able to get three more harvests in after his cancer diagnosis, and dreamed of farming up until the end. He was a farmer all his life, and claimed he was driving tractor before kindergarten at Black Creek Grade School. He graduated Seymour High School in 1980, and couldn't wait to get back to the home farm.

Lance met Mary Jo Hooyman while taking farm classes at Fox Valley Tech, and one day followed her to Fleet Farm to ask her on a date. They were married on April 15, 1983. The photo of Lance carrying his bride next to his prized 1970 Pontiac LeMans graced the wall of Romy's Nitingale for many years.

Between milking cows and tending crops, Lance and Mary Jo raised six children, Laurie (Craig) Pilgram, Kristy Volkman, Brad (Shana) Volkman, Allie (Cody) Mattes, Winnie (Ben) Joutras, and Ben Volkman. Lance was a begrudging 4-H and FFA dad, who graciously put up with years of training crazy heifers for the fair. Through the busyness of farming and supporting his kid's various activities, he made sure to give each of them a strong foundation in their Christian faith. He took pride in watching his kids excel at their various interests and talents, and they have grown up to emulate his steadfastness, his faith in God, love and patience for God's creatures, and playful sense of humor. He wished they would have inherited his aptitude for working on machinery though.

He loved tractors and tractor pulls, and ran out of shed space with his John Deeres and Minneapolis Molines. If you had asked Lance if he had any regrets, it would be selling his Minneapolis Moline G1000 Vista. He enjoyed listening to music, and claimed that if you listened to the radio while doing chores, it never felt like work. You could often find him singing karaoke, and especially loved classic rock and the Beatles.

Lance enjoyed the simple things in life- his (not-so) secret stash of sweets in the milkhouse, a bowl of cereal heaped with sugar accompanied with summer sausage and cheese, eating ice cream after chores, and cheap beer. His family couldn't convince him that "Mountain Creek" brand beer tasted like it came from an actual creek. His sweet tooth was second to none, and often came home from a trip to Seymour with a grocery bag full of snacks worth more than the bull calf he had just sold at Kuehne's. He also enjoyed traveling with friends to meat and cheese shops in the area.

Lance spent many late nights finishing up chores or rushing to get to town for a meeting. He served on the Scenic Valley Co-op Board, was a member of Outagamie County Farm Bureau, Seymour FFA Alumni, Two-Cylinder Club, and volunteered several years at the Symco Thresheree.

Lance and Mary Jo were blessed with 10 grandchildren: Mikayla, Zane, Oliver, Henry, Charlie, Tommy, Micah, Noah, Lucy, and one granddaughter in Heaven, Amelia. Lance is further survived by his siblings, Jean (Ron) Hinkfuss, Ellen (Verlin) Sellin, Ralph (Sandy) Volkman, Linda (Dennis) Teidt, and many in-laws, nieces, nephews, and cousins. He is preceded in death by his parents, in-laws Butch and Mary Lou Hooyman, and sister-in-law and brother-in-law Peggy and Jim Wagner. In addition to his loved ones, he leaves behind his barn kitties and a trophy stack of hay made during the drought of '88.

Funeral services for Lance will be held at Immanuel Ev. Lutheran Church, Black Creek on Thursday January 22nd at 12 noon with Pastor Mark Gartner and Pastor Matthew Schoell officiating. Visitation will be held at the church from 9:00 AM until the time of services. Interment to follow at the parish cemetery.

We would like to thank hospice and the staff at ThedaCare and Froedtert, and anyone that has lent a helping hand or kind words, no matter how small the gesture.