Hans Udo von Tresckow
September 24, 1941 - June 3, 2024

MADISON - Hans Udo von Tresckow, age 82, of Madison, formerly of Fond du Lac, passed away on Monday morning, June 3, 2024. He was born on Sept. 24, 1941, in Berlin, Germany, the son of Arnold and Elisabeth (Lieff) von Tresckow.

Hans graduated from Nikolaus-August-Otto-Ingenieurschule in Cologne, Germany, 1967. Shortly after graduation he found employment with Rex Chainbelt in Milwaukee where he met his wife Sara who worked for the same firm.

He was united in marriage to Sara Stutzman on June 12, 1971, in Naperville, IL. After the wedding, the couple moved to Germany where he was sent for a new job. Hans worked as a mechanical engineer building machine tools in the US and Germany, retiring from Giddings and Lewis in Fond du Lac in 2008.

During his long marriage, he and Sara spent time raising two sons, a herd of milk sheep, a flock of chickens, an orchard and large garden. He emigrated back to the US after 20 years in Germany, settling in Fond du Lac, WI. They became heavily involved in fiber arts – spinning and weaving – starting a business, The Woolgatherers, in retirement. Sara represented the active fiber pursuits while Hans repaired spinning wheels, built a special comfortable stool for handspinners, and developed plans for looms and flax processing equipment. Active in the business until his death, it continues with his wife.

His proudest achievement came in the 1980’s when through the sudden death of a lamb under an old iron bridge (Eisenbahnhochbruecke Rendsburg), serious lead pollution was discovered under the structure, maintained by use of red lead and sandblasting for decades. Through his research and persistence, and willingness to let the local authorities take credit, worldwide maintenance of similar structures, including the Eiffel Tower, is now done by packing the structure protectively and disposing of the waste at toxic waste sites.

Hans Udo is survived by his wife, Sara; brothers Christian and Wilfried in Germany, sons, Peter von Tresckow of Madison and Hans Henry von Tresckow of Oceanside, CA; and granddaughters Melea von Tresckow and Ella von Tresckow.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Arnold, and Elisabeth.