James Thomas Plowman

FOUNTAIN HILLS, AZ – James T. Plowman, 86, formerly of Racine, WI passed away in Fountain Hills, AZ on February 9, 2022. Jim was born in Baraboo, WI on October 19, 1935, and was the son of the late Clayton and Agnes “Fern” (Peterson) Plowman.

Jim graduated from Bradford High School in Kenosha in 1953 and from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1957. He then served in the Army at Ft. Gordon, GA, and Ft. Lee, VA. While in the Army, Jim was united in marriage with the love of his life, Barbara, whom he met in an accounting class at UW when they were both sophomores.

When his service concluded, Jim returned to Madison and earned his MBA at UW in 1960. His first job was as a salesman for Kordite Plastics in Evanston, IL, then in Minneapolis, MN. In 1963, he began his 29-year career with S.C. Johnson. Upon retirement from the Director of Corporate Facilities role in 1992, Jim assisted with planning, designing, and building the new sanctuary at St. Lucy Catholic Church. He was a long-time member of the International Facility Management Association and was passionate about supporting United Way in Racine County.

Jim and Barb moved to Scottsdale in 1998 and were thrilled to explore Arizona and show off the state to friends from Wisconsin. He was a devoted parishioner at St. Bernard of Clairvaux. For a number of years, Jim hosted the annual SC Johnson retiree luncheon in Scottsdale. Until recently, he enjoyed a year-round outdoor weekly tennis match with the other “old goats.” He studied Spanish most of the years he was in Arizona and was able to use it in everyday life frequently. He enjoyed a Starbucks doppio just about every day. Jim was an avid Packers fan and attended as many warm weather games in Green Bay as he could.

Jim was a devoted husband, father and grandfather and will be missed by all. He is survived by his wife Barbara Kohl Plowman; daughter Patricia (Marshall) Solem, Highland Park, IL; two sons, Thomas (Kelly Howze) Plowman, Grapevine, TX; and Christopher (Kathryn) Plowman, Riverwoods, IL; and seven grandchildren: Molly and Julia Solem, Matthew and Madison Plowman and Sarah, Elizabeth and Laura Plowman.

A celebration of life will be held at St. Lucy Catholic Church, 3101 Drexel Ave., in Racine on Friday June 17 at 11:00 AM, with visitation at 10:00 AM until time of Mass. The funeral will be live streamed and may be viewed by going to the funeral home website, select Jim’s page, select service, and select live stream. Internment is private.

The family extends a special thank you to the entire staff at Fountain View Village in Fountain Hills for their compassionate care and assistance and to all of the devoted family caregivers from Cardinal Home Care for their loving support.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association or Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee/Southeastern Wisconsin in Jim’s memory would be deeply appreciated.