HOWARD ALVIN DUERKOP
HOWARD ALVIN DUERKOP
Howard Alvin Duerkop, 88, of Hixton, WI, passed away peacefully Saturday, Sept. 22, 2024.
Howard was born to Lyle and Geraldine (Skare) Duerkop Sept. 26, 1935, in Black River Falls, WI. Howard grew up near South Alma on the family farm and graduated from Hixton High School in 1953.
Howard met Mary E. Smith on a blind date at the Blaire Egg Festival, and the two quickly fell in love. Howard and Mary were married at the Our Savior Lutheran Church in Hixton June 25, 1955. They were blessed with two children, Cynthia and Harold.
Starting out of high school, Howard began working for the Jackson County Highway Department, where he worked for 10 years. Then, in 1966, Howard and his family moved to Racine to work at Case Tractors Plant until 1992, when he built Mary’s dream home on Green Acres Road and moved back to Hixton. He kept the lawn and gardens beautiful with his Case lawn and garden tractor, of which he was very proud.
Howard was a man of many interests and could often be found outdoors. In the early 60s, Howard got softball going in Hixton which would later turn into Club 95. He also loved hunting and had many great hunting trips all throughout Wisconsin. His kids, grandkids, great-grandkids and even grand-in-laws enjoyed going hunting with him. He had a boat for fishing on Lake Michigan and spent many hours out on the lake. He was such a proficient fisherman that he often won prizes for his catches in Racine’s “The Big One” fishing contest every year. Additionally, Howard was a great bowler and made headlines in the Racine Journal Times: “Duerkop Hammers 732 Honor Count.” When not winning prizes or making headlines, Howard could be found playing a lively game of pool or playing cribbage on his favorite cribbage board made by his son.
He and Mary went on many wonderful trips to places such as Alaska, the national parks, Niagara Falls, Christmas in the Canadian Rockies and even as far as Australia.
Howard is survived by his loving wife, Mary, of 69 years; his children, Cynthia “Duerkop” Pradarelli of Waupaca, WI, and Harold (Diane) Duerkop of Sturtevant, WI; his grandchildren, Chris and Linda Murphy, Sara and Jessie Lewis, Becky and Curt Romanowski, and Angie and Rick Sadowski, all of Racine, WI, and Jenny Murphy of Steven’s Point, WI; as well as his great-grandchildren, Everet, Carter, Makenzi, Mathew, Jo-Jo and Chase Murphy, Tyler Lewis, Annica, Lily and Jacob Romanowski, and Wyat and Callie Sadowski.
A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Hixton, WI. Visitation will begin at 11 a.m. and will be held until the time of service at 12 p.m. Pastor Elden Simonson will be officiating.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Our Savior Lutheran Church.
The family would like to thank the staff of the Grand View Care Center for their exceptional care and compassion. The family would also like to thank the Jensen-Modjeski Funeral Home for their assistance during this time.