Douglas Allen McMahon, 84, of Suring, died Friday, July 3, 2026, at Evergreen Health Services, Shawano.
Born on Feb. 7, 1942, to Clarence and Lola (nee Hodgins) McMahon of Gillett, Doug first attended Spring Hill School in the Town of Gillett. He graduated from Gillett High School in 1960.
He played baseball for the Gillett city team for several years; his uniform sponsor was Whiting’s Cheese Factory. After high school, he attended Northland College, Ashland, then transferred to University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. During a break from school, he worked at Friday Canning Company, Gillett.
In March 1966, he joined the Oconto County Traffic Police Department as a patrol officer. The OCTP would later merge into the Oconto County Sheriff’s Department during the 1970s, where he would continue to serve his community with the OCSD, serving under Capt. Eugene Berken and Sheriffs Rupert Haave, John Fisher, Robert Holman, Gerald Gehling and Kenneth Woodworth. During his service with OCSD, Doug held the positions of deputy, sergeant, courtroom security officer, undersheriff and chief deputy (under Sheriff Woodworth).
Doug campaigned for and was elected Oconto County sheriff in 1995. He served in that capacity until his retirement in 2003. He was instrumental in the launch of 911 service within Oconto County and worked to introduce K-9 officers to the county.
He loved patrolling his beloved Oconto County, visiting with its citizens in coffee shops and diners, festivals, parades, corn roasts and picnics. He continued his service to the county as an Oconto County Board supervisor, representing District 26, from 2012 until retiring in 2024 after his health began to fail. All told, he served Oconto County and its residents for more than 49 years.
On Nov. 9, 1973, he married the love of his life, Pamela (nee Ammerman), at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Suring. He and Pam settled into a small home on Groninger Street, and together, they raised a family consisting of their son, Scott, and two daughters, Kimberlee and Tiffany.
He would call Suring his hometown for the remainder of his life. He served as a trustee for the village of Suring for many years and was also a member of the Suring Area Fire Department. He was an umpire for Suring Little League and was also a WIAA football official for several decades.
Doug was very involved with conservation and outdoors. He was a founding member of the Oconto River Watershed Chapter of Trout Unlimited, serving as its treasurer for many years. He was also active with the Oconto County Sportsmen’s Alliance, serving as treasurer and, eventually, its president. He loved to attend local sportsmen’s banquets, often being quite lucky and winning many prize raffles. He loved to fish, whether for trout on the Oconto or for panfish through the ice in the winter.
But at the forefront of it all, his favorite place to spend time away from Oconto County was in the Big Hole River Valley in Southwestern Montana, that “last best place.”
What began as a last-minute invitation to replace Berken with a group headed there in 1970 quickly evolved into an almost annual trip to spend a week or more chasing brown and rainbow trout in the cool, clear waters that flow through the Pioneer Mountains in Beaverhead County. Melrose, the small town at the confluence of Camp Creek and the Big Hole, and became a home away from home for more than 50 years. There he made memories for a lifetime with his Montana friends, fellow Wisconsin anglers and his family.
In 2000, Doug and Pam purchased the former Dick & Toni’s Bar in Suring and together, they operated McMahon’s Irish Waters, welcoming guests for fun, Friday fish fries and homemade pizzas until Pam’s death in 2015.
Although not allowed to play football because his mother deemed him too small, he loved the game — not just the Packers and the Badgers, but the game itself. He was famous for his notepads full of notes in anticipation of the annual NFL college draft each April, poring over any information he could gather about the potential draft picks.
Doug is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, David and Rebecca McMahon of Gillett; his son and two daughters, Scott and Jennifer McMahon of Neenah, Kimberlee and Mitch Taylor of Gillett, and Tiffany and Jon Ringelstetter of Sheboygan; grandchildren, Leo, Shamus, Lillie and Margaret Alice; two sisters-in-law and a brother-in-law, Joyce Anderson of Suring, and Melvin and Lois Reichwald of Gillett. Also surviving are many cousins, nieces and nephews.
He was proceeded in death by his wife of 41 years, Pam; his parents, Clarence and Lola McMahon; aunts, uncles, in-laws, cousins and many other brothers who wore the badge of the Oconto County Sheriff’s Department.
Visitation will be held on Monday, July 27, 2026, at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Suring from 10 a.m. until the funeral service at 2 p.m. with Pastor Michael Paholke officiating. He will be interred at Pine Hill Cemetery, Town of Spruce.
Gruetzmacher Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences can be expressed at www.gruetzmacherfuneralhome.com.
A memorial fund in Doug’s name will be established to benefit conservation efforts in Oconto County.
