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John Sumwalt For Agri-View
Feb 15, 2026
Feb 15, 2026

Gary Jones pauses for a photo. He began life on a small dairy farm on Pleasant Ridge in northern Richland County, Wisconsin. He attended a one-room grade school. Now, at age 80, he looks back on his career as both a teacher and a writer. He and his wife summer in Door County, Wisconsin, and winter across the street from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, his alma mater. His publications include feature articles, poems and short stories, and the memoir Ridge Stories. A number of his plays have been produced. He began his teaching career in 1966 at Weston High School. He retired in 2014 at UW-Platteville. He and his wife will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in 2026. They have two children and a granddaughter.
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John Sumwalt For Agri-View

I turned 6 the winter we lived in the old military Quonset-hut house on Pleasant Ridge in the town of Willow om Richland County, Wisconsin. We were only there for a few months in the winter of 1956-1957. In March we moved to a new farm Dad had bought just a few miles down the hill along Willow Creek, a mile from Loyd, Wisconsin.

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John Sumwalt new mug 2024 — John Sumwalt

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John Sumwalt is a retired pastor and the son of dairy farmers. He is the author of “Shining Moments: Visions of the Holy in Ordinary Lives.” Email johnsumwalt@gmail.com or call 414-339-0676 to reach him, or write to W172 N7735, #932, Menomonee Falls, WI 53051.