James A. Vollrath

James “Snifter” Andrew Vollrath, 88, of Manitowoc passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 22, 2025.

He was born in Sheboygan on February 25, 1937 to the late Andrew Jackson Vollrath II and Gertrude C Roth. He graduated from Central High School with the class of 1956.

On October 19, 1957, James was united in marriage, to his high school sweetheart, Gail D Schmidt. She preceded him in death on July 15, 2019. He later married Maxine “Mickey” Ziarnik Strzyzewski May 2, 1998. She preceded him in death on December 24, 2009.

You have recognized James’ entrepreneurial spirit and Philanthropic nature, if you have ever been to Max’s, The Pub, Snifter’s, The Patio, or The American Club. This would have brought experiences of endless amounts of amusing stories, hearing many humorous jokes, witnessing various magic and card tricks. He had an infectious smile with a never-ending positive demeanor and was a self-proclaimed, shameless flirt.

He was an expert pool player that took home an abundance of first place trophies, both personal and as part of a number one team. Following in his father’s footsteps, he was a Master Archer, scoring numerous sanctioned “perfect” games. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, boating, and waterskiing. He mostly loved a backyard pool party with an army-sized fry-out, followed by a massive bon-fire with family and friends.

He is survived by his longtime companion, Lori Mueller, his children, Michael (Sharon) Vollrath, Kevin Vollrath, Melody (Robert Foster) Gottowski, and Darcy Vollrath, Step-children, Lori (Jon) Thompson, Tim Strzyzewski, and Todd Strzyzewski, Grandchildren, Jason (Shana) Vollrath, Jesse (Jennifer) Vollrath, Jennifer Gottowski, Christopher Gottowski, Maria (James Hunt) Giannopoulos, and great granddaughter, Morgan Gottowski. He is further survived by many beloved nieces and nephews.

James was preceded in death by his parents, siblings, Andrew (Elizabeth) Jackson III, William, Robert (Audrey), Jayne (David) Kraus, and Donald (Maryanne), nephews, Andrew Jackson IV, David Kraus, Marc, and Niece Jeanie (Rick) Nolan.

Funeral and celebration Services will be held at Ballhorn Funeral Chapels, Wednesday September 3, 2025, from 4:00pm-6:00pm with music by Too Cool from 4:30pm -5:30pm. Service and storytelling to follow 5:40pm-6:00pm.

The family would like to thank James’ long-time companion, Lori Mueller, for being a cherished and trusted part of his life, Aurora Two Rivers Hospital staff, Aurora at home staff, and Aurora Home Hospice staff for their compassion and support.