John Vincent Stilp, age 52, of Menasha, passed away peacefully, with his wife at his side, on Friday, August 28, 2026, at Cherry Meadows Hospice following a 3 year battle with cancer.

John was born in Neenah on September 15, 1973, to the late John B. Stilp and Kathleen  Schlosser.  On July 31,2010 he was united in marriage to Ariel Buchholz at Homestead Meadows in Appleton.  The couple have enjoyed 16 years together.

John enjoyed deer hunting, watching his daughter perform martial arts and his son play football. His happiest place was in the woods in Eagle River- a place he grew to love after meeting Ariel.   He also was a great lover of pizza, most recently the wood fired variety.  He was a member at Eternal Love Lutheran Church, Appleton.

John will be dearly missed by his beautiful, loving wife, Ariel, Menasha; three daughters:  Ashley, Mckenzie, and Zailynn "Nugget" Stilp; his son Zachary Stilp; his mother Kathleen (Jim Keitel) Schlosser; 2 brothers:  Todd (Lisa) Morgan, Appleton and Shawn Collar, Appleton; 2 sisters:  Diane (Brian) Flemming, Appleton and Barbara Collar and her 2 sons Brendan and Kamren; grandmother Shirley Raatz; father and mother-in-law Mark and Nancy Buchholz; sister-in-law Sarah (Nick Goral) Buchholz and her 3 children Hailey, Levi, and Lyla; grandparents in-law Joan and Bernie "Papa" Bestler; and his good friends Ted Quick, Ross Nissen and Gregg Gawinski.  He is further survived by many more nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was greeted in his eternal home by his heavenly Father and his earthly father John, who he missed dearly. He is further preceded in death by many family members and dear friends.

A memorial service will be held at 3 pm on Saturday, September 12, at Eternal Love Lutheran Church, 1011 Midway Road, Appleton.  Friends may visit at the church on Saturday from 1 pm until 2:45 pm.  In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund is being established for his daughter Zailynn for her future and education.

Special thanks to the nurses at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center in Appleton- both 5th and 7th floors, and to Melissa Smits- you are an angel on earth.

John- I'll never stop missing and loving you. I'll do my best to make you proud and raise our beautiful daughter to work hard and love her Savior.  I might need a little help with directions, though. I'll see you again, my love.  Save me a spot until then. Rest easy, I'll look for you in the trees-  Ariel.

Daddy- I miss you and love you. I can't wait for you to watch me do karate from the seat with the best view.  You're forever my hero and first love. Until we meet again, I love you, your Nugget.