Keith W. Hardacker

Hardacker, K. W.
Appleton

Born May 29, 1924—died gently at home on January 25, 2003, after a brief illness.

Keith Willis Hardacker was the only child of Cecil Irene Mills and Floyd Austin Hardacker. Both the Mills and Hardacker families were pioneers in Outagamie County, Wisconsin, settling there in 1848.

As a boy, Keith took up the drums. He played with the Sons of the American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps, which was associated with the local VFW post. He continued to play through high school and college. Keith was a percussionist in a Navy band, which performed at least once at the White House.

Keith enlisted in the Navy shortly after entering college, so he attended school wherever the Navy sent him—Lawrence college in Appleton, Columbia University, and the University of Wisconsin in Madison, graduating with a degree in physics. After college he worked as a Research Associate in the paper physics group at the Institute of Paper Chemistry. At the Institute he met and later married Margaret Stevenson on August 26, 1950. He retired from the Institute in 1989 and from the Naval Reserve, June 1, 1984 with the rank of Lieutenant.

Keith was a lifetime member of the First Congregational Church in Appleton. His involvement there included: designing and building the sound system, working with the youth musicals, maintaining a catalog of tapes of special music programs, and serving on the history committee.

In retirement, Keith pursued interests in photography, genealogy, computer programming, and clock repair. The repair work triggered an interest in building clocks. He built several elaborate clock mechanisms from brass sheet and and tube stock. They will tick on long after the rest of us are gone.

He is deeply missed by his wife, Margaret; two sons, Andrew, Boston, MA; Jed, Rolling Meadows, IL; one daughter, Maud (Court) Bentley, Rowley, IA; one grandchild, Erin Hardacker (Dann) Morr, Chicago, IL. Also two cousins, Kendall (Bernice) Mills, Neenah, WI and Anita Faust, Oshkosh, WI.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00PM Saturday, February 8, 2003, at First Congregational Church, 724 E. South River St., Appleton, the Rev. John McFadden presiding. Friends and family are welcome to come beginning at 1:00PM to visit with family.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be directed to a memorial fund being established to continue the church projects Keith began.

WICHMANN FUNERAL HOME
537 North Superior Street
Appleton, WI 54911
(920) 739-1231