James E. Bahr

Died: Monday, December 16th, 2024

Funeral Service: 12:00 p.m. (Noon) on Saturday, January 11, 2025 at the funeral home

Visitation: family will receive friends one hour prior to the service

Private interment at a later date

James E. Bahr, 84, died peacefully on Monday, December 16, 2024, at MCHS in Eau Claire, Wisconsin with his doting daughters by his side. 

Jim was born February 22, 1940, to the late Lawrence and Dorothy (Brinker) Bahr in Eau Claire. He proudly served our country in the U.S. Army 1958-1962. Jim was a competitive race car driver in the 60s and 70s, winning several beautiful trophies over the years proudly displaying QQ on his Packard and Plymouth race cars; a legacy his son Tony carried on for many years as well. Jim loved going to watch his son Tony race the dirt tracks carrying on with QQ on his own race cars. 

Jim's life's work was his Studebaker collection. Over the decades he sure ended up with one massive collection of Studebaker's, Kaiser-Frazer's, Buick's, Plymouth's and Ford's. In the early 1990's, Jim was able to purchase a warehouse full of NOS Studebaker parts in South Bend, Indiana. A very proud time was when his collection was featured on an episode of American Pickers where Mike and Frank were able to enjoy walking the property and attempting to purchase a few items from him.  

For most of the 80's and 90's Jim made and sold rocker panels to Studebaker lovers all over the world doing business as Wisconsin Studebaker. He was proud to have made his own equipment that could create the exact arc needed to make a great rocker panel. Jim was also a talented welder.  

Jim was a member of many clubs - The Packard Club, The Antique Studebaker Club, Cushman Motor Scooter Club of America, Kaiser-Frazer Owners Club International, Avanti Owners Association International, Inc. and The Studebaker Drivers Club Inc., Badger Wheels Chapter where he was one of the founding members. Jim and Marge traveled all over the United States attending meets in South Bend, Indiana and York, Pennsylvania as well as many others over the years. Later in Jim's life, he enjoyed the attention he got from his favorite waitresses at the local Perkins in Menomonie, WI where he would go each morning for breakfast.  

He is survived by his children, Connie Bahr (Tony Mouw), Tony (LuAnn) Bahr, and Brenda (Todd) Bradison; stepchildren, Rick (Shari) Davis, Joe Davis and Jackie (Greg) Billings; grandchildren, Ryan, Brandon, Joshua, Breanna, Jake, Kayla, Noah, and Steph; great grandchildren, Brielle, Adeline, Arya, Cash, Kenley, and Evie; his beloved cat, Fluffy; and many other family members and friends.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Don (Betty) and William (Jan) Bahr and his partner, Marge Barany.