James Raue

James Baldwin Raue, 84, died Thursday, August 26, at his home in Winter Park, Florida.

Jim was born at St. Mary's Hospital in Watertown, Wisconsin on March 3rd, 1937.  He attended St. Bernard’s School and graduated from Watertown High School in 1955. He was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity at Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin, and graduated in 1960.

Jim served in Company M, Wisconsin National Guard, stationed at Ft. Lewis outside Tacoma, Washington, during the Berlin Crisis. He worked with his father, Ed Raue, in the Raue and Sons Painting Company of Watertown as a painting estimator where he worked on projects such as the astronaut hangar at the Kennedy Space Center. He was later assigned to Disney projects in Orlando and Los Angeles.  He also served as chief finance officer of Center Academy schools in St. Petersburg, Florida.  A lifelong Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bears fan, Jim held season tickets for the Cubs even though he was residing in Florida.  A serious student of professional sports, he was a critic of the front offices of professional sports franchises, so he founded the consumer advocacy organization FANS (Fans for the Advancement of National Sport), an idea ahead of its time.

Jim was a connoisseur of food and wine, dabbled in gourmet cooking, and made memorable trips to England and Germany.  A jazz enthusiast, he was a credentialed collector of big band era recordings. Delving into some family history, he discovered he was related to a personal hero, the jazz trumpeter Roland B. “Bunny” Berigan.

His survivors include sister Susan Raue Hicks, (Mack) St. Petersburg, Florida, sister Dianne Raue Keller, (Bill) Mesa, Arizona, sister Jill Raue Klaus, (Dick) Jasper, Indiana, brother Jack Raue, (Nettie) Pewaukee, Wisconsin, several cousins, and his companion Linda Dirienzo, Orlando, Florida.  He was an active and generous uncle to his twelve nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Evelyn Helen Kressin Raue and Edward Sander Raue, and his brother, Edward Sander Raue, Jr.

He is fondly remembered by his family and alumni of Watertown High School and Company M National Guard.  There will be a private burial at St. Bernard’s Cemetery in Watertown, Wisconsin.