Earl William Herman Pappenfuss, age 90, of Appleton, passed away on Saturday, June 28, 2025, at Oak Park Place in Menasha. He was born on December 17, 1934, to William and Lucille (Luedtke) Pappenfuss in Milwaukee, WI. Soon after, he became a child of God through Holy Baptism. Earl attended Mt. Lebanon Lutheran School in Milwaukee, often walking over a mile to school with his younger sister, Jean. During his middle school years, the family moved to Iron Ridge, WI, to help on the family farm. For a kid like Earl, there was no better place to be! Earl was confirmed in his faith at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Iron Ridge. Earl attended high school at Northwestern Preparatory School in Watertown, WI. Sometimes he would hitchhike home to Iron Ridge on Fridays so he could help with chores at the farm. Earl knew he wanted to be a teacher and attended Doctor Martin Luther College in New Ulm, MN. It was there he caught the eye of Sharon Mann, from Toledo, Ohio. Sharon would tell the story of how handsome Earl was in his tennis whites when playing on the college tennis team. Sharon and Earl were joined in marriage on June 15, 1958, at Zion Lutheran Church, in Toledo, Ohio.

Upon graduation Earl was assigned to teach at St. Stephen's Lutheran School in Beaver Dam, WI. There he enjoyed coaching the basketball team but still found time to get to the farm on weekends. Children Paul, Karen, Amy and Andrew joined the family in Beaver Dam. In 1967 Earl was called to teach at Bethel Lutheran School in Menasha, WI. There he taught 7-8 grades and served as principal. sons: Mark and Nathan completed the growing family. Being a teacher allowed Earl to take the family on summer camping trips in their camper, 'The Lark.' Memories were made when they pulled their camper to Gettysburg and Washington DC, as well as the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore. July often found his family camping and working in a cherry orchard in Door County. After his teaching career, Earl worked at Rich's Products in Appleton. As part of his Quality Control job, he tasted forty batches of bread each shift. When he reached retirement Earl and Sharon continued to enjoy traveling. They drove to visit family and friends across the country. Some memorable trips were an Alaskan Cruise, a journey following in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark, and a visit to Czech Republic and Germany where Earl surprised the group by conversing in German with the locals!

In his free time, Earl enjoyed cooking, camping, gardening, and putzing. He could putz anywhere, including in the grocery store on the way home from church! A couple of his culinary specialties were Door County cherry soup and Easter ham wrapped and baked in rye bread dough. Earl also found time to serve and volunteer on many committees at his church and Fox Valley Lutheran High School.

Earl is survived by his loving wife of 67 years, Sharon; his children: Paul (Kim) Pappenfuss, Karen Pappenfuss, Amy (Brian) Maurice, Andrew (Kris) Pappenfuss, Mark (Holly) Pappenfuss and Nathan (Jodi Soufal) Pappenfuss; his grandchildren: Samuel (Karis) Pappenfuss and their children Reuben, Josiah, Elias and Abel; Krista (Josh) Byers and their children: Ellowyn and Tobias; Remington (Rachel) Pappenfuss and their children: Weston, Wyatt, Willow and Winter; Isaac (Monica) Pappenfuss and their children: Ezekiel, Melchizedek and Benjamin; Jaime (Eric) Pappenfuss-Stalker and son Gabriel Gandara; Ethan Maurice, Collin Maurice, Zachary (Rachel) Pappenfuss, Kaylin Pappenfuss and Zebulon Pappenfuss. He is further survived by his sister Sharon Pappenfuss; and many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents and sisters: Marilyn, Jean and Jerilyn.

A Christian funeral for Earl will take place at 11am on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 302 N Morrison Street, Appleton. Friends may visit from 9am until the time of service directly at church. A light lunch will be served after the service followed by his burial at St. John's Cemetery in Woodland, WI at 4pm.

Memorials in Earl's name may be directed to St. Paul's Lutheran Church or Martin Luther College or the organization of your choice.