Harry Papcke
June 12, 1929 - April 10, 2018
Obituary
MADISON-Harry W. Papcke, age 88, of Madison, passed away on Tuesday, April 10, 2018. He was born on June 12, 1929, and raised on a 261 acre farm in the Town of Richmond, Wis., the son of Carl and Lillian (Christensen) Papcke. At the age of 7, Harry joined the LaGrange Live Wires 4-H Club, and was a member for 13 years. In 1948, he was a delegate to National 4-H Congress in Chicago and there he met his wife, Virginia Gjermo of Stoughton and they were married on Oct. 24, 1953. Harry attended UW-Madison and received a B.S. degree in Rural Sociology. In 1950, he was a Summer 4-H Agent in Juneau County in 1950, and County 4-H Agent in 1951, before proudly serving in the U.S. Army Artillery in Korea from 1951-1953. He then returned to Juneau County as 4-H Agent and served until he moved to Madison and Dane County 4-H in 1954, and continued working until his retirement in 1987. During his 34 year career with 4-H, Harry brought countless ideas to make Dane County 4-H grow. He has received numerous awards and recognitions, among them the Dane County Junior Fair Hall of Fame award, and in 1963, he received the Wisconsin Extension Workers Distinguished Service Award and the National 4-H Agents Distinguished Award, and was the first Wisconsin recipient of NAE4-HA American Spirit Award in 1985. Harry enjoyed traveling, gardening, genealogy, stamp collecting, reading and crossword puzzles. He is a member of McFarland Lutheran Church. He was a former member of Westminster Presbyterian Church where he served on several church boards and taught Sunday school, as well as South Central Chapter Wisconsin State Genealogical Society and Wisconsin State Genealogical Society. Harry is survived by his wife, Virginia; son, Mark (Linda) Papcke; and grandchildren, Tara and Andrew Papcke. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Charles Papcke; sister-in-law, Elaine Papcke; and infant brother, Gerald. Funeral services will be held at MCFARLAND LUTHERAN CHURCH, 5529 Marsh Rd., McFarland, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 14, 2018. Burial will be held at McFarland Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the church from 11 a.m. until the time of the service on Saturday. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Norwegian American Genealogical Center and Naeseth Library: http://www.nagcnl.org/donate/. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com
Gunderson East
Funeral & Cremation Care
5203 Monona Drive
608-221-5420
Events
Visitation
Sat Apr 14, 2018 @ 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM CDT
McFarland Lutheran Church • 5529 Marsh Rd., Mc Farland, WI 53558
Service
Sat Apr 14, 2018 @ 1:00 PM CDT
McFarland Lutheran Church • 5529 Marsh Rd., Mc Farland, WI 53558
Photos
No photos of Harry have been shared yet.
Memories
NN
Nancy Nilsen
Other •
I was very sorry to hear of Mr. Papcke's passing. I remember him fondly from my years in 4-H in the late 70s. From the Dane County Fair to Upham Woods, he was the heart and soul of Dane County 4-H .
JK
John & Judy Kompsie
Other •
Dear Virginia, Mark & Family:
We were very sorry to learn of Harry's passing & extend to all of you our deepest sympathy. We have been next door neighbors for over 40 years & have many fond memories of conversations over the back fence. He was a very good neighbor & will be hard to replace. Our thoughts & prayers are with all of you.
We are very sorry that we will not be able to be with you to celebrate his life.
Love & prayers to all of you,
John & Judy Kompsie
JP
Jerry Paulson
Other •
Virginia, Mark and Linda and Grandchildren, I was so sorry to open the paper this morning and find that Harry had passed. I too have many memories working with Harry in 4-H as well as with the Dane County Genealogical Society. He was a patient teacher and a stickler for detail which I admired. After coming to NAGCNL I always knew that if I had someone connected to St. Paul Liberty, you and Harry were the people that they needed to talk to!
Thank you for your support of the Center in the past and especially I wish to express gratitude to the family asking for donations to NAGCNL in memory of Harry. Any funds that come in will be well used to honor a great genealogical researcher.
I am sorry to also tell you that we are leaving early on the 13th for Tuscaloosa, Alabama to visit our youngest granddaughter who goes to school there so I will miss his funeral service. I will keep Harry in my thoughts and prayers.
I wish the family well as you continue making the adjustment to Harry's passing.
Jerry Paulson
MS
Mary Stiegel
Other •
Virginia, Mark and family, We are sorry to hear about Harry’s death. Our prayers are with you. I always enjoyed exploring our family history with him. He had done so much research and could always help identify old pictures. He will be missed. We are thinking of you. Bob and Mary Stiegel
DW
Dave Weiman
Other •
In the 5-plus years I was a 4-H & Youth Development Agent at the Dane County UW Extension Office in Madison, I learned why Dane County 4-H had one of the best and largest programs in the country. It was because it had the best 4-H Agent in the country — Harry Papcke! When my wife and I moved to Madison from Minneapolis in 1974, Harry helped us find an apartment in the right neighborhood near our jobs, and was readily available for advice and counsel on everything 4-H. Thanks for all you did for 4-H and this former agent, Harry. Your contributions will long be felt by the people you touched . Our condolences to Virginia, Mark and family. David & Peggy Weiman
BJ
Bruce Johnson
Other •
Virginia, Mark, Lynda and family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. May your memories bring you peace.