To view Pastor James P. Tiefel's funeral service, please use this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihM3e40VrXw 

James P. Tiefel, 76, passed into glory on January 6, 2026. A service of Christian Funeral will be held at 1:30 PM on Saturday, January 24, 2026 at Morning Star Lutheran Church (N171W20131 Highland Road), Jackson, WI. Family members will welcome guests beginning at 11:00 AM until 1:15 PM. A private committal service will be held at a later date at St. John's Lutheran Cemetery, Milwaukee.

James Tiefel, son of Pastor Arnold Tiefel and Grete nee Mahnke, was born on December 8, 1949, in Detroit. He attended church-related schools in grades K-12. He graduated from Northwestern College in 1972 and from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1976. He served as pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Saginaw, MI, from 1976 to 1985, as professor at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Mequon, WI, from 1985 to 2020, and at Trinity and St. John's Churches in Mequon from 2020 to 2024. He was also active as a member of various commissions of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

On June 12, 1976, he was married to Brenda L. Klukas of Balaton, MN. He is survived by his wife, his son John (Naomi) and their children Andrew, Isla, and Silas of Jackson, son Mark (Kate) and their children Hannah, Eleanor, and Greta of New London, and his sister, Paula Sitzman of De Pere. The couple's oldest son, David, was called to heaven in 2018.

Those wishing to offer a memorial gift may consider the WELS "100 in 10" initiative, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, or a ministry of their choice.