Harold Leo King

Beloved husband, father, brother, uncle, grandpa, cousin, and friend, Harold L. King, 77, peacefully entered God’s Kingdom on May 13, 2018.  Harold, known to all as ‘Harry’, was born on June 10, 1940 in McHenry, IL to Leo & Mae King.   Harry was the oldest of three siblings who learned about the value of hard work, family, faith, and community at an early age.   Harry was raised on a dairy farm, working side-by-side with his family to milk Holstein dairy cows and tend the fields.  Harry attended McHenry High School and was an active member of Future Farmers of America.  More recently he was a proud member of Empire Threshing Association and a participant in the Illinois Farm Bureau Tractor Trek.

In the spring of 1961, Harry met Lynn C. Sturdy over a bucket of lime.  Harry kindly carried the heavy pail across the road so Lynn could finish her chores.  They were married on April 4, 1964, started their own dairy farm, and soon were proud parents of four children: Brian, Rob, Kelly, and Brett.  In 1976, the family relocated to Brownsville, WI where Harry expanded his farm.  He was an early riser and continued to be so even after the dairy cows were sold, allowing him to focus solely on growing corn, soybeans, wheat and peas.

Occasionally, Harry found time away from the farm and ventured to the lakes of northern Wisconsin and Canada to fish and camp. He loved to hunt deer and turkey.  He was always on the lookout for the next new piece of modern farm equipment to add to his collection. He enjoyed a daily breakfast which started with a piping hot cup of coffee, a dash of fresh cream, and stories shared with his breakfast friends.  But nothing gave Harry more joy and pride than time with his seven grandchildren.  Whether it was attending a grade school play or concert, his grandsons’ baseball and football games, or watching his granddaughters show their blue-ribbon pigs at the local fair, these moments were his most treasured. “Grandpa King” was famous for rounding up his grandkids and escaping for homemade custard served car-side at Gillies in Fond du Lac, WI. To be honest, turtle sundaes were not on his diet!  In 2012, Harry and Lynn began to spend winters in Winter Haven, FL where he enjoyed fishing, having dinner with friends, and driving about the neighborhood in a souped-up golf cart. Harry and Lynn loved to travel with longtime friends on their famous road trips.

Harry is survived by his wife of 54 years Lynn, his children Brian King (Chris) of Washington, DC; Rob King (Janel) of Brownsville, WI; Kelly Griesemer (Tom) of Kewaskum, WI and Brett King (Donna) of Brownsville, WI; his grandchildren, Trent, Travis & Connor Griesemer, Katelyn & Madelyn King, and Cooper & Tucker King.  He is also survived by his sister Donna Schaefer of McHenry, IL and brother-in-law Dave Sturdy (Libby) of Clarendon Hills, IL.

He is preceded in death by his parents Leo & Mae King, his brother Tom King, his in-laws Alan & Lee Sturdy, brother-in-law Ted Schaefer and nephews Ron Schaefer, Dan Schaefer and niece Linda Clark (Schaefer).

Visitation will take place on Thursday, May 17 from 3:00pm – 7:00pm and continues Friday, May 18 from 9:30am to 10:30am at Myrhum Patten Miller Kietzer Funeral Home, 350 Main Street, Lomira, WI.

A Celebration of Life Mass will be held on Friday, May 18 at 10:30am. St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 699 Milwaukee Street, Lomira, WI.  Interment at church cemetery immediately following Mass.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to any of the following organizations:

Future Farmers of America Lomira Alumni Chapter - all donations will support a scholarship fund dedicated to growing the next generation of agricultural leaders. 
Heifer International - dedicated to supplying livestock to end world hunger and poverty globally (www.heifer.org)
St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 699 Milwaukee St., Lomira, WI 53048

His family would like to offer their personal gratitude to the doctors, nurses, and staff of ThedaClark Regional Hospital of Neenah, WI for the compassionate care administered to Harry in his final days.

The Myrhum Patten Miller Kietzer Funeral Home of Lomira have been entrusted with Harold’s arrangements. Additional information and guest book may be found at www.myrhum-patten.com.

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