Travis Lee

Jim began in the auction business at the age of 18 and spent 60 years as one-half of O’Brien Brothers Auctioneers, selling cattle, farm, and household auctions. In addition, Jim auctioned many years at Midwest Livestock Producers, Lomira, and was a lifelong member of the Wisconsin State and National Auctioneers Association.

Emma Bailey was an American auctioneer and author, credited with being the first American woman auctioneer. She held her first auction in Brattleboro, Vermont, on May 12, 1950, as a way to supplement her family’s income. In 1952 she became the first woman admitted to the National Auctioneers Association. She continued auctioneering for nearly 20 years and wrote a book about her experiences, entitled Sold to the Lady in the Green Hat (1962), before retiring in the late 1960s.

R.A. lived a long and storied life in which his living presence was larger than life itself. The ambition he showed and the knowledge he possessed garnered people’s admiration and respect in all he did. He held a very strong work ethic and loved every moment he spent working when he owned and operated Thiel Real Estate and Thiel & Thiel Auctions. He was a member of the National & Wisconsin Auctioneers Associations, and the Wisconsin Real Estate Association.

Harold was a partner with his brothers, Jim and Jack, in Gavin Brothers, Inc., and later with his nephew, Robert Gavin. His passion in life was being an auctioneer.