Mike Harmon

Mike Harmon, age 50 of Racine, WI, formerly of Garden City, SD died on Friday evening, January 26, 2007 in a Racine hospital. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 3, 2007 at 11AM in the Garden City United Methodist Church at Garden City with the Reverend Warren Rhodes officiating. Burial will be in the Garden City Cemetery. The organist will be Dorothy Fuller. Casketbearers will be Kevin Hubble, Joe & John Arthur, Randy Foster, Tom Hallberg and Greg Furness. Visitation will be held at the Church on Saturday morning after 9:30 AM until service time. He was born on January 26, 1957 at Watertown the son of Howard and Shirley (Fredrickson) Harmon. He attended school at Garden City until the school closed and then went to Clark School, graduating in 1975. He then attended college at Northern State in Aberdeen. He owned and operated Harmon Construction for a time before moving to Racine, Wisconsin. He was employed at Pioneer Products as a production engineer for some 25 years. He was an avid CART racecar fan, especially enjoying watching the Indianapolis 500. Mike is survived by his sister, Mary Hubble and her husband Bill of Chesapeake, VA, 2 nephews and a niece, cousins and an Aunt Arlene Wille of Tucson, Arizona. Preceding him in death were his parents. The following is from Jim Beere of Pioneer Products in Racine, WI, where he has worked for some 25 years. Since September of 1980 Mike Harmon has worked, lived, laughed, and cried at Pioneer. He died on January 26th; fifty years to the day of his birth. He was born in Watertown, South Dakota and will return home to be buried with a family that mostly passed long ago. He moved here shortly before he was hired, worked at Haban Manufacturing, and then started his career at Pioneer. During that time we became his family along with his elderly aunts, his neighbors Helen and Milo, and others he helped in this community. His gruff exterior and strong will never truly masked his understanding heart and giving ways. He was more than just a caregiver, co-worker, and a friend; he was interested and interesting, complicated, yet open. You always knew where you stood with Mike Harmon. Mike suffered from and understood the human condition. When situations, people, or work became difficult he would always rise up and meet the challenge. To a fault he carried the load, always doing more than his share. He was hard working and devoted to Pioneer and all those he loved. He was an avid Indianapolis 500 and racecar enthusiast. He always had the latest Jeep or electronic device. He prided himself as being self-taught in many different disciplines and an expert in many areas. As I look back over the years and think of all that has happened, it is difficult to tell one story that embodies all of Mikes qualities. My fondest memories are of how he stopped in my office each morning and gave me a rundown of the shop and then updated me on the condition of each ailing aunt. After the first round, I would busy up and watch as he continued to talk about how difficult our next adventure would be and how he wanted me to understand his insurmountable workload. Although I believe Michael understood his condition, he never confided it with anyone. He tried to say goodbye to many of us by giving advice and by using stories and comments. I am sure many of us were given hints. I should have understood when he told me about his aunt. Over the years he had taken care of several elderly aunts. As their earthly lives ended he comforted and cared for them on their final days. A few weeks back he told me his last living aunt, Arlene, was given the news that she had only six months to live. He could not bear to see her go and that he would not be there for her. Little did I understand that Michaels journey was underway. Each morning will be a little longer, each day a little lonelier now that Michael has passed away. I will truly miss his unique personality and the different way he looked at life. I have lost a friend. He will be sadly missed. He was one of the true builders of Pioneer. May his soul find eternal peace and happiness. A Mike Harmon Story Although Mike liked being from South Dakota, he seldom talked about his early years. Once in a while he would talk about old-time friends and a fellow classmate that made the House of Representatives. I remember one friend started a company that made Industrial Potato Chips and another came from his hometown and became a minister in Racine. He held private thoughts closely and would only pour out his emotions when he could not bear to keep them inside. He attended school in Clark, South Dakota and college at Aberdeen, South Dakota. He majored in Industrial Arts and Business. Several years ago I asked Mike to take a Dale Carnegie class to add to his range of disciplines. In the class he told a story about when he started school in a South Dakota. The town was small and the schoolhouse had one teacher that taught several classes in one room. As he entered kindergarten each morning the elderly (50ish) teacher would ask each student to state his or her name. It was her way of helping the students feel comfortable and talk in class. Mike said that everybody knew everyone even though some had come to school from miles away. People who live in small towns know everything and everybody he told me. Mike confided that he was very shy and after several weeks of the same routine he decided that on one particular day he would not speak out and say his name. The teacher pressed and Michael continued to sit quietly. After several minutes of her prodding Mike stood up and yelled, My name is Michael Joseph Harmon damn it, you should know it by now! The class stood silent as the five-year-old Michael settled into his seat and the teacher, unflustered, continued her class. Many years later Mike returned to his hometown for his schools anniversary. The retired teacher, now in her nineties, sat perched in front of her many former admiring students and looked over the crowd as she spotted a middle-aged man in the back. She asked And sir what is your name' He stood up and said, My name is Michael Joseph Harmon damn it! She smiled and said, Yes, I know. Funeral services are announced by Furness Funeral Home in Clark, SD. www.furnessfuneralhome.com to email a condolence.