Appleton man who died at Progressive Converting came to US as a refugee; friends set up GoFundMe

APPLETON — The identity of the 44-year-old man who died March 12 at Progressive Converting’s Glendale Avenue location in Appleton was identified Friday.

Outagamie County’s coroner, Douglas Bartelt, identified the individual as Jean Ndakebuka, who was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a news release shared with The Post-Crescent Friday.

Ndakebuka died at approximately 1:40 p.m. on March 12 as a result of “an industrial accident,” said Bartelt. It took place at Progressive Converting, a paper-converting company located at 2430 E. Glendale Avenue, in Appleton.

Ndakebuka, known as John Ndakebuka, who is originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, worked as a forklift driver at the Appleton facility, according to Rugaju Tchambaza, a close friend who has helped create a GoFundMe campaign for the family.

As the sole breadwinner, Ndakebuka leaves behind his wife, Kobwa Nyatutsi, and six children.

“Funds raised through this campaign will directly benefit the family and go towards funeral costs, monthly bills and other day-to-day expenses,” read the GoFundMe campaign created for the family.

“With a sudden death like this, the family can’t afford the funeral expenses,” said Tchambaza. “That’s why we’re feeling the community can help to raise funds, to be able to pay bills, rent, and able to organize a funeral with people coming across the country to celebrate his life.”

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) is investigating Ndakebuka’s death.

Progressive Converting will “not be providing any further comment or information while investigations are ongoing,” Bob Gresh, its HR director, said in an email Thursday.

“Our primary concern at this time is to ensure that the needs and well-being of the family of the affected employee are met,” Gresh said.

The Appleton Police Department is also investigating, spokesperson Megan Cash said in an email last Friday.

Ndakebuka was known as a friendly person, a devout Christian, a loving father, and loved playing soccer, Tchambaza said. He previously worked for a meat processing company in Iowa as a driver, shortly after his family resettled in the United States as refugees in 2021.

The Ndakebuka family moved to Appleton in October 2023 after spending some time in Neenah, and he landed a job at Progressive Converting in 2024.

Tchambaza is helping the family raise funds for the funeral and paying for other costs, but at the same time, he said they are waiting for detailed reports from both the police and OSHA on what happened to Ndakebuka, whom he called a “brother.”

“We wanted to know what happened, and what reasons behind it,” he told The Post-Crescent. “We know it’s an accident, and an accident is an accident. But at the end of the day, there are protocols in place to make sure that something with that doesn’t happen in the future.”

Zhen Wang is a business reporter for The Post-Crescent. Reach her with story tips and feedback at zwang@gannett.com or 920-993-7117.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Appleton man who died at March 12 Progressive Converting identified