April 24, 1932—July 2, 2020
TOMAH - Claude Russel Hackett, a lifetime resident of the Town of La Grange, Monroe County WI, passed away peacefully on the morning of July 2nd, 2020 at the Serenity House in Tomah. He was 88.
Claude was born on April 24th, 1932 in the old Hackett farmhouse along what is now County Trunk M in the Town of La Grange. He was born to Rufus and Marietta (Mc Nutt) Hackett, their second child, only son and sibling of two dear sisters, Lela and Marlene.
He spent his youth as most young farm folks did during the depression; helping his father work the farm to support the family. And even at a young age was responsible to help till the fields using a team of horses.
When he was 12, he moved in with his Gramma Jennie (Prescott) Hackett across the road from the old farmhouse to help take care of her and make sure the wood stove was always fired in winter. During WWII, his parents boarded military families from Camp McCoy in his old room and he heard many war stories from the soldiers. This gave him a lifelong interest in WWII history and weapons.
He graduated from Tomah High School in 1950, and on August 29th, 1953 he was united in marriage with Marcella (Marcy) (Schaller) Hackett in Tomah, WI. They began their life together on the Hackett farm where they lived, loved, and raised six children together. They were married for 63 years until her passing in August 2016.
Throughout his life, Claude was a proud blue-collar man. He worked for several companies including Iola Tie Co., Loren Caldwell’s TV and Appliance and Van Pac. In the mid-60s through early 70s he worked for Peterson’s Dairy, located in the Lemonweir district of Tomah, delivering dairy products to area homes and businesses. He finally settled in with the City of Tomah as the maintenance man at the new city hall in 1975. He stayed at the City until his retirement in 1994.
But Claude didn’t live to work, he worked to live. All his life he enjoyed hunting and fishing and spending time with his family and friends. In young adulthood he enjoyed the bowling league at Vlaseks and also competed in an archery league. He was also a fanatical Packer fan and definitely bled Green and Gold. For a few years after he retired, Claude and Marcy spent winter in Deming, NM to get out of the cold weather but always made it back in the spring.
In his last few years, he enjoyed taking rides around the country looking for deer and turkeys and also stopping at local stores like Cranberry Country Market and Good Will. He continued to live on the farm until late 2019 when his failing health required around the clock care. He fought the good fight. He finished the Race.
Claude is survived by his six children, Brant (Connie) Hackett and Leslie (Debra) Hackett of Tomah, Claudia (Don) Stieve of Stevens Point, Lon (Michele) Hackett of Holmen, Linda (Phil Cates) Hackett of Newburyport, MA, and Blaine (Sue) Hackett of Roseville, MN; 15 grandchildren: Rhea (Tony) Kitowski, Ryan (Crystal) Hackett, Nicole Gebhardt, Danielle (Jon) Schubargo, Adam Hackett, Robert (Angie) Stieve, Brooke (Tucker) Feltz, Brett Stieve, Ian (Anna) Hackett, Isaac (Miesha) Hackett, Avery (Jessica) Hackett, Sophie and Joey Cates, Casey and Sydney Hackett; 14 great-grandchildren: Ethan and Oliver Massey, Aliza and AJ Kitowski, Olivia Hackett, Adria, Logan and Marissa Gebhardt, Noah and Wyatt Schubargo, Grace Stieve, Azlin and Harper Feltz, plus the newest edition, Otto Hackett.
He is further survived by a sister, Marlene (Bill) Hemsey of Winona, MN; and a cousin, Les McNutt of Divide CO.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Marcy; his parents, Rufus and Marietta; a sister, Lela (Eldon) Zimmerman; and an infant great-granddaughter, Ava Kitowski.
The family would like to acknowledge and sincerely thank Deb and Robert Frost for helping keep our dad at home as long as possible and also all the staff at the Serenity House for making our father's last few months as comfortable and peaceful as possible.
A Funeral Service will be held on Wednesday, July 8, 2020, 4:00 p.m. at the Sonnenburg Family Funeral Home, 801 E. Monowau Street, Tomah. Pastor Milliman will officiate. Burial will be in LaGrange Cemetery at 5:00 p.m. located on the corner of County Highway M and Elgin Ave. northwest of Tomah. A meal will be provided at the Hackett Farm (22602 Elliot Ave., Tomah) after the burial.
Relatives and friends are invited for a time of visitation on Wednesday at the funeral home from 2:00 p.m. until the time of the service or join us at the cemetery for the committal service.
Those in attendance are encouraged to use CDC recommended guidelines for Social Distance and Safety Measures.
Sonnenburg Family Funeral Home
