Harksen, Reynold Lewis 1935-2015

HARKSEN, FISHER, SCHMIDT, PEARSON, SOENKSEN

Posted By: Ruth Maring - Volunteer
Date: 1/8/2016 at 09:52:48

Reynold Lewis Harksen, 80, of rural Camanche, Iowa passed away Monday, December 28, 2015 at the Alverno. Services will be held at 10:00 AM, Saturday, January 2, 2016 at the Clinton Chapel Snell-Zornig Funeral Home & Crematory. Visitation will be held from Noon to 4:00 PM Friday, January 1, 2016 at the funeral home in Clinton. Burial will be in the Clinton Lawn Cemetery, where full military honors will be conducted by the Clinton AMVETS. Pallbearers will be Mike Kitchen, Henry Peters, Jim Wood, Dale Hasenkamp, Derek Harksen, Scott Nissen and Dennis Zornig. Honorary pallbearers will be Marvin Garlough, Robert “Red” Pennock, Darryl Gruhn, Norm Hartz and Ed Clark. Online condolences may be expressed by visiting www.snellzornig.com.

Reynold was born April 18, 1935 in Low Moor, Iowa, the son of Arnold and Emma (Fisher) Harksen. He was a 1955 DeWitt High School graduate. He married Kay Janis Schmidt on September 27, 1958 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Charlotte, Iowa.

Reynold has taken many different flights with his 57 years of flying; he received his private license in 1956 and flew for his own enjoyment until being drafted into the U.S. Army in 1958. He did not fly in the military but was in armored recon and was a tank driver serving in Regensburg, Germany during the cold war. He was assigned to border patrol on the Czechoslovakian border. After his discharge from the service he returned home and continued farming and has farmed for more than 60 years. In 1970, Reynold and Kay started Harksen Aerial Spraying and continued the business for 45 years. Reynold was an avid hunter and trapper and he enjoyed teaching his grandson Derek all about the sport, his grandchildren were very special in his life.

He was a member of the Iowa, Illinois and National Agricultural Aviation Associations, the Iowa Fertilizer and Chemical Association; he served on the Board of Directors of all four organizations was Vice-President and President of the Iowa Agricultural Aviation Association was a member of EAA, AOPA, the NRA, Ikes and the Clinton County Pork Producers. A great hobby of his was taxidermy, of which he enjoyed for more than 50 years. In July of 2006, Reynold received the prestigious award from the Federal Aviation Association, called the “Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award” for 50 years of dedicated and safe flying in aviation.

Survivors include his wife, Kay of Camanche, IA; daughter, Carla Kay (Wayne) Pearson of DeWitt, IA; son, Scott (Betty) Harksen of Camanche, IA; grandchildren, Amanda Pearson of Clinton; Courtney Harksen of Iowa City and Derek Harksen of Camanche and his sister, Norma Jean (Milo) Soenksen of DeWitt, IA.

Reynold was preceded in death by his parents.

Memorials may be made to Genesis Hospice or the American Cancer Society.

The celebration of Reynolds life will continue with a lunch at the Harksen home following the committal service at the cemetery.