Francis John Kleckner

Francis John Kleckner, 88, went to be with the Lord on Sept. 16, 2026.  

Francis was born on June 27, 1938, in Sheboygan, Wis., to the late Peter and Anastasia (Strauss) Kleckner. He attended Holy Cross Catholic School and graduated from Port Washington High School in 1956. 

On Sept. 14, 1963, he married Betty Jacoby at St. Nicholas Church in Dacada, Wis. Francis and Betty just celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary.

Francis joined the U.S. Army National Guard with the 32nd Aviation Company in 1956 and was discharged from the Army Reserve in 1964.

Francis embraced farm life. He grew up on the family homestead in Belgium, Wis., and continued the family’s tradition of dairy farming and also raised steers. He proudly provided milk for the National Farmers Organization (NFO), being one of the organization’s earliest members in Ozaukee County, and received numerous milk quality awards over the years.

In 1994, Francis and Betty sold the family homestead to their son William and continued farming alongside him until 2024. In 2023, they were honored with the Wisconsin Century Farm Award.

Francis was a skilled builder and handyman. He played a central role in constructing the farm’s various buildings and kept tools in nearly every one of them, always ready to fix or mend whatever needed attention.

Francis was very active in his community. His service to the Town of Belgium totaled more than 36 years, including 16 years as a supervisor and 20 years as town chairman. He served on the Ozaukee County Planning Commission and spent 33 years on the Northern Ozaukee School Board.

He was very strong in his Catholic faith and served Holy Cross Parish throughout his life as an altar boy, lector, usher and member of the Parish Council.

He enjoyed being a businessman and was always good with numbers. His sales calls were more like social visits. Francis sold Jung field seed for more than 40 years as well as cattle mineral feed supplements and outdoor wood heaters. He was also a business partner with Waldo Implement.

Francis will be deeply missed by his wife of 63 years, Betty; his children Kenneth of Belgium, Paul of Lehigh Acres, Fla., and Karen (Mike) Domitrz of East Troy, Wis.; four grandchildren, Anthony (Jordan Daley) Domitrz, Bryan (Molly Baus) Domitrz, Steven (Frida) Domitrz and Matthew (Anneli Ryan) Domitrz; and three great-grandchildren, Avery, Scarlett and Sabrina Domitrz.

He is further survived by his siblings Delmar of Wyoming, Barbara (Barrett) of Pewaukee, Daniel of Delafield and James of Fredonia; his brother-in-law Herman Feyereisen of Belgium; his sister-in-law Kay (Theisen) Kleckner of Fredonia; and many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Francis was preceded in death by his parents Peter and Anastasia, his son William, his siblings Roman, John, Virginella (Gonwa), Rosemary (Feyereisen) and Agnes (Huiras)and his brothers-in-law Roman Gonwa, Joe Barrett and Alois Huiras.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Divine Savior Parish, Holy Cross Chapel, 5330 County Rd. B, Belgium, Wis., on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, at 6 p.m. The family will greet visitors at the church from 3:30 to 5:45 p.m. 

Francis will be laid to rest at Holy Cross Parish Cemetery on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, at 10 a.m.

The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to the staff of Belgium Senior Living for the kind and compassionate care they provided Francis since 2024.

In lieu of flowers, memorials to the Alzheimer’s Association, American Cancer Society or Divine Savior Parish School are appreciated.

Eernisse Funeral Home, Belgium, is honored to serve the Kleckner family. 

Online condolences may be left at www.eernissefuneralhome.com