James Harold Prigge

James Harold Prigge (Jim) formerly of Sheboygan and Elkhart Lake passed away peacefully at his home on Tuesday, May12, 2026 at the age of 93.

Jim was born in Sheboygan on February 19,1933 the son of the late John and Lucille (Trossen) Prigge. He attended local schools “Wash-Tubs”, Urban and he graduated from North High in 1951. He was proud to be named “North’s Peppy Cheerleader”. He loved to collect North yearbooks so he could reminisce about his many friends (and girlfriends!) He never, ever missed a class reunion.

He married his first wife Jaqueline (Jackie) Keepers in 1953 and enlisted in the US Army in 1954. “Mr. Lucky’ as he has always been known, was due to ship out for Korea on July 11 but the birth of his daughter Wendy on July 10, 1954, kept him safely stateside throughout his time in the service. He “fought the battle of Fort Sill, Oklahoma single-handed” for two years before being honorably discharged in 1956. One of the highlights of his life was going on the Honor Flight to DC with his brother Jerry Prigge in 2014.

Jim and Jackie moved back to Sheboygan in 1956. They had two more daughters, Julie and Jane and bought the beloved family cottage on Elkhart Lake in 1966. Jackie was tragically killed in a car accident in early 1972. Jim was blessed to have found love again with Patrica Krishon. They married in 1974 and had two children, Jon and Jill. Jim passed away three weeks before their 52nd wedding anniversary. 

A natural-born salesman, Jim and his brother Jerry founded Prigge’s School Bus Service and Discovery Motor Coach and later Riverside Truck & Auto. Anyone who has lived in Sheboygan has likely ridden a “Prigge Bus” at some point in their lives. In addition to providing bus services to thousands of school children, the company has been a leader in motor coach travel for over 60 years. In the early years, Jim and Jerry drove and escorted many of the trips themselves, including thousands of Packer and Braves/Brewer games. Jim loved to sell tickets to home games and rarely missed attending a Packer game (including the infamous Ice Bowl). For many years, the Prigge brothers were the largest owners of Packer Season tickets in the state.

In 1976 a new chapter in his life started with the addition of a full-service travel agency, Discovery World Travel (later merging into Travel Leaders). Jim absolutely loved the travel business and eventually acquired 16 more agencies. He and the agency were the recipient of the Golden Legacy Award and the Award of Excellence. He was a founding Member of Wisconsin Travel Associates. He was a proud member of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) and Milwaukee SKAL International Travel Association. The Travel Leaders agencies were consistently ranked among the best in the country. Because of the agencies, he was able to travel the world, eventually visiting more than 40 countries.

Jim was naturally out-going, gregarious and the life of every party. A long-time parishioner of both St. Clements and St. Thomas Aquinas he also belonged to a multitude of civic organizations and clubs, including Sheboygan JayCees, Knights of Columbus, Elks, Elkhart Lake Sailing Club, Friends of Camp Brosius and Sheboygan YMCA among many others. For years he was a staple selling wine at the Osthoff Christmas Market and selling cookies for the EL Library during the 4th of July parade-always in his large Uncle Sam hat. Most recently he enjoyed hanging with his buddies, the Elkhart Lake R.O.M.E.Os His lifelong commitment to the Sheboygan Lions Club earned him the Melvin Jones Award, the highest honor awarded nationally. It was an honor he was deeply humbled by and one his proudest achievements.

Although he loved sailboat racing on Elkhart (where he earned the dubious achievement of never winning first place!) his true passion was skiing. Over the years he belonged to several ski clubs but SkiHasen always held a special place in his heart. His passion for skiing led him to equip and outfit skiers at Toro’s Ski Shop. He took literally hundreds of trips to the alps, out west and especially the Upper Peninsula both as coach driver and travel agent but most often with family. He took every chance he could to “conquer the mountain”. All of his kids earliest memories are of skiing with him. He skied with his grandchildren on his 80th birthday.

Jim loved Sheboygan and believed it was one of the gems of the great state of Wisconsin. He never missed an issue of the Sheboygan Press because he wanted to keep up with the news of “his” city. He proudly served in 1985 as Chairman of the Sheboygan Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Steering Committee. He was served from 1986 through 1987 as Chairman of the Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce. Anyone who ever attended a Chamber outing surely has memories of Jim enthusiastically selling raffle tickets! He was Sheboygan’s Peppy Cheerleader until the end!

Although he called Sheboygan, Elkhart, Montreal, WI and Puerto Vallarta home (all of which he referred to as “God’s Country”), home really was whenever he was with family. He said he was the luckiest man alive because all of his children lived close to him. But in reality, we were the lucky ones to have him in our lives. There will never be another like him and he surely is in “God’s Country” now, patiently waiting for all of us to join the party.

Survivors include his wife Pat; daughter Julie Koleno; daughter Jane (Mark) Letscher; son Jon Prigge; daughter Jill Prigge; son-in-law Dale (Kristi) Rauwerdink; grandchildren Tom Rauwerdink, Kim (Bray) Pelzel, Will Koleno, Joe, Jen, and Nate Letscher; great-grandchildren Addyson (Mouse) and Stella Pelzel; and his godson Josh Flores

He is preceded in death by his wife Jackie, parents John and Lucille, brother Jerry and daughter Wendy.

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the staff of Sharon Richardson Home Hospice. They are the angels of our community.

Friends and family may pay their respects on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM at Zimmer Westview. They may also pay their respects on Thursday, May 21, 2026, from 10:00 to 11:00 AM at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, Elkhart Lake, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial. Immediately afterward, a celebration of life and an opportunity to share classic Jim stories will take place at Siebkens in Elkhart. A private burial will take place at Calvary Cemetery, Sheboygan.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Elkhart Lake Lions Club.