Louis "Bud" J. Jost, Iii

Louis "Bud" Joseph Jost, III, age 90, of Franklin, passed away on September 12, 2024. Louis was born on July 14, 1934, in Milwaukee, WI, to the late Louis and Margaret (Polarek) Jost. He graduated from Pius XI High School and Marquette University. Following graduation, he was employed by Northrop Corporation in California working on the SNARK missile guidance system. On October 27, 1956, he was united in marriage to Nancy Krawczyk in Hawthorne, California. Soon after returning to Milwaukee, the Josts built their first home in Greendale, one of the first all-electric homes in the area. As their young family grew, they built a home adjacent to Whitnall Park and moved to Franklin.

Louis was an electrical engineer and worked for and later became President of Bentley-Jost Electric, an electrical contracting company, that his father started in 1935. He owned and operated electrical contracting businesses, including Specialty Trades Inc. (STI Electric) for over 60 years, only recently retiring. He served on the Architectural Review Board for the City of Franklin for 48 years, 20 of those years as chair; he served as a director of Firstar Bank for 5 years; was on the Franklin Volunteer Fire Water Rescue Squad for 5 years; and was President of the Whitnall Grove Condominium Association for 17 years. Louis was a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Kiwanis, serving as a president of the Milwaukee Southwest Kiwanis Club for one year. He enjoyed the outdoors, sailing, playing cards and skiing. He relished time spent with family and friends the most. He was not only physically fit and active throughout his life, but he was also mentally sharp and inquisitive, always researching and studying new science discoveries. In addition to running his business, Lou enjoyed stock and commodity trading, always watching for trends and keeping up with the latest news or political events around the world that might impact the markets. He loved technology and stayed at the forward edge of technological trends, even cryptocurrency trading in the final years of his life. The Josts raised seven children and were active at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church. Louis recently became a member of Hales Corners Lutheran Church.

Louis was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Nancy A. Jost. He is survived by his seven children, Louis Jost, IV of Quito, Ecuador; Larry Jost (Lynette) of St. Louis, MO; Brian Jost (Joan Zepecki) of Delafield, WI; Bradley Jost (Dianna Zimmerman) of Ann Arbor, MI; Bruce Jost of Tucson, AZ; Paul Jost of Burlington, WI and Lorie (Todd) Koessl of Nashua, MT; grandchildren, Ethan Jost (Sonja Schaefer), Trevor (Lyndi) Jost, Henry (Karli) Jost, Lindsay Jost, Jackson Jost (Priscilla Kang), Saige Jost (Herus Carvalho Da Costa), Adair and Giselle Jost, Alois Jost, Anthony (Kayla) Koessl and Brittany (Christian) Hunt; and great-grandchildren Kaizen, James, Thomas and Blake Koessl, and Trevyn, Gavyn and Aria Hunt. Louis is further survived by his siblings Ellin Baranowski, Joan Huber and Robert (Diane) Jost, and other relatives and friends, including his dearest Betty Uhl. Along with his parents, Louis was preceded in death by his brothers William and James Jost.

Visitation will be held at Max A. Sass & Sons, 8910 W. Drexel Avenue, Franklin, WI 53132, on Friday October 4, 2024, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., with a memorial service at 6:00 p.m. at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Louis’ memory to: The Friends of Boerner Botanical Gardens ( https://boernerbotanicalgardens.org/donate/)