Bob Franzmann, who worked for more than 30 years at the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison, died Monday, July 19. He was 86.
Born in Coloma, Mich., Franzmann attended UW-Milwaukee, where he discovered his love of journalism. He graduated in 1962 as a part of the school’s first class of journalism graduates.
Franzmann started his newspaper career at the Rhinelander Daily News, spending a year there before joining the State Journal newsroom in 1963. He would remain with the Madison newspaper through his retirement in 1994.
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While working at the State Journal, Franzmann also served as a public information officer for the U.S. Navy on weekends. He served as a general assignment reporter for the newspaper before going on to cover the police beat and serve as an assistant editor. In 1988, he was named business editor — the role until retiring in 1994.
Franzmann and his wife, Joan, had a daughter, Kate, and four grandchildren. A picnic celebrating Bob and Joan’s lives will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 31, at Blue Mounds State Park, west of Madison.
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