It is with sadness that we announce the passing of James (Jim) Francis Honeck on December 7th, 2023 in Brookfield, WI. Jim was 99.
He was born on January 21, 1924 in Milwaukee, WI, to Stella Ruth Honeck (nee Batzler) and Eugene John Honeck. He was the second of 6 children.
He entered the army on April 26th, 1943 and participated in the D-Day landing on Omaha Beach. His unit then marched towards Paris, where they battled to liberate that great city. Years later, for his service in these two battles, Jim was awarded the Legion of Honor medal, bestowed by France to non-French people for outstanding service to France. After the Liberation of Paris, Jim’s unit fought their way on towards Berlin via Belgium, during which they fought in the Battle of the Bulge, just as Jim reached his 21st birthday. Reaching the outskirts of Berlin, his unit joined in the battle to capture that city.
Once home, Jim quickly found work at the Bell Telephone Company (part of a conglomerate of regional telephone companies, which ultimately became AT&T, Ameritech and Lucent Technologies along with many other spin-off communication companies.) He started there as a “lineman” and cable splicer. He climbed telephone poles and entered manholes to string and splice the communication cables. He loved the mechanical and physically demanding sides of this work and was good at it, but he eventually rose into management positions for some years before he retired.
Jim met his future wife Charlotte when he went with his older brother Gene to visit Gene’s girlfriend at the time, who was Charlotte’s younger sister Joann. Jim described meeting Charlotte for the first time as seeing “a vision of loveliness walking down the stairs.” Charlotte was still in High School at the time, but was able to graduate a semester early. She turned 18 in March and Jim and Charlotte were married soon after on April 17th, 1948. They celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary in 2023.
Jim built their first home on Garvens Avenue in Brookfield with his own hands in evenings after work and on weekends. Jim and Charlotte brought 2 children home to that house. When a third child was on the way, a larger home seemed necessary. Jim also built much of that second home located on Parkmoor Drive in Brookfield, where he lived until he became ill early in 2023.
Jim and Charlotte and their children were long-term members of Gethsemane Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brookfield. Jim sometimes served as Treasurer of the church council and assisted in the construction of the addition of a much larger Sanctuary. Charlotte pitched in as an active member of the Women’s Missionary Society.
Jim was known as the guy who could fix anything. He also enjoyed stamp collecting, photography, playing chess, and reading Sherlock Holmes stories and novels by Alistair MacLean. He created many film clips using an 8mm movie camera. His children were always delighted when he could be convinced to set up the projector to show these films. Our favorite was one we referred to as “The Barrel,” which involved lots of children climbing out of a single barrel, one after another, including starring roles by many of Jim and Charlotte’s nieces and nephews. After Jim retired, he took up woodworking in a Big Way by making many pieces of fine furniture for his and Charlotte’s home and for his children and grandchildren.
Jim was preceded in death by his mother, Stella, his father Eugene, his brothers Lee (who died in infancy), Gene, and Richard, his sister Helen (Cook), an infant daughter, several nieces and nephews, and sisters- and brothers-in-law. He is survived by his wife of over 75 years, Charlotte, his sister Mildred Hatch, his children Jayne (her partner Glen Schulte), Jim (his wife Yvonne) and John; grandchildren Nat Honeck, Ben Honeck, Erica Dineen (her partner Charlie Dickmeyer) and Jake Dineen; great granddaughter Charlotte Dineen Dickmeyer, and many nieces, nephews, and friends. We love and miss him, but take comfort knowing he is Home and Free from the prison his body had become in his last few months with us.
A Celebration of Jim’s life will take place on the 100th anniversary of his birth, January 21, 2024. The Celebration will begin with a memorial service at Noon, followed by military honors and a buffet lunch until 3:30 PM—all at Christ the Victor Lutheran Church, 15700 West Coffee Road New Berlin, WI 53151.
In lieu of flowers, if you so desire, the family gratefully suggests a donation to the charity of your choice.
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Daniel Morris
left a message on January 21, 2024:
