OBITUARY: Harlan Hackbarth

Harlan Hackbarth, 66, of Allenton, passed away on Tuesday, August 11, 2015 at Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital in Milwaukee.

Harlan was born on March 4, 1949, in Appleton, the son of the late Alvin and Lucille Hackbarth. Harlan went to St. Peter’s Lutheran School, graduated from Hilbert High School, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. On December 29, 1973, he was united in marriage to Constance “Connie” Cooper of Belmont at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Hilbert.

He was employed by Jeneil Biotech in Saukville as a flavor chemist. He worked tirelessly and seldom complained. His boss said that not once in the decades they worked together did he ever hear Harlan get angry or raise his voice at work. He worked with his team to find a solution to get the job done and generated enormous respect among those he worked with. He was proud of his work but wasn’t prideful. He never stood up and said, “Look at me.” Just the opposite. He let the results speak for themselves.

Harlan shared a passion for running with his daughter. They ran countless 5Ks, a few half-marathons, and one full marathon together. And when they weren’t running they were talking about running.

Harlan enjoyed baseball. Every year, he would take a trip to Phoenix for spring training baseball to see the Milwaukee Brewers with his son. He would sit in the sun with a bag of peanuts and watch the games.

Harlan enjoyed taking weekend car trips with his wife. They would let the road determine their destination and enjoyed the scenery along the way. They would always return with stories to share about how much fun they had just getting away for a few days.

He also enjoyed fishing, whether it was a weeklong trip to Canada or Squaw Lake or a few hours on a Saturday evening at a nearby creek or the shore of Lake Winnebago.

If you wanted to find someone who exemplified the phrase “good man” you would need to look no further than Harlan. He didn’t live an extravagant or extraordinary life but did what everyone should, worked really hard and treated everyone he encountered with kindness and respect.

Those Harlan leaves behind to cherish his memory include: his wife, Connie; two children, Sean Hackbarth of Arlington, VA and Sara (David) Schwendinger of Des Moines, IA; three siblings: Laurie (Brian) Mathes of Hilbert; Gerald (Geraldine) Hackbarth of Manawa; and Terry (Beverly) Hackbarth of Chilton; nieces and nephews and many other relatives and friends.

The family would like to share a celebration of Harlan’s life on Saturday, August 15 at Pilgrim Lutheran Church, 462 Meadowbrook Dr. in West Bend. Visitation will run from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. with a funeral service and meal to follow.

Special thanks to the citizen who first assisted Harlan, the first responders, the doctors and nurses in the CVICU at Froedtert Hospital as well as those from Horizon Home Care & Hospice who provided him with the best care possible.

Myrhum-Patten Funeral & Cremation Service, West Bend, is assisting the family. Online condolences may be expressed at www.myrhum-patten.com .