Gale Harter, 87 of Sun City, Huntley, formerly of Davenport, Iowa, passed away on Monday, October 19, 2015 in Elgin, following a short illness.
He was born April 25, 1928 in Rock Island, Illinois, the son of Roy and Martha (Pederson) Harter. In high school he excelled in football and basketball in the Quad Cities area where he was educated. He was united in marriage to Betty L. Johnson on August 15, 1948 in Moline. The couple made their home in Davenport and he worked for Modern Woodman Insurance Company, retiring in 1993. He had been active as a leader in the Boy Scouts of America, had coached girls softball and was active in “Dad’s Club” and had been involved in numerous activities at Grace Lutheran Church in Davenport. He was particularly proud of his involvement with the Handicapped Development Center in Davenport where he had served as Chairman of the Board for a time and he loved to play Santa Claus for nearly 30 years with Project Santa which he started at Modern Woodman Insurance.
He is survived by his loving wife, Betty of Huntley, his son, Kent (Julie) Harter of Hampshire, his daughter, Kaye (Steven) Hermie of Huntley, his very special grandson, Matthew John, also his sister, Faye (Ivan) Lind Wallace of Parkers Prairie, Minnesota. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Curt and his brother-in-law, Richard Lind.
A memorial gathering will be held from 4:00-7:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 22nd at the Village Inn Restaurant in downtown Huntley. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Shepherd of the Prairie Lutheran Church, 10805 Main Street, Huntley, IL 60142 or the Lazarus House, 214 Walnut Street, St. Charles, IL 60174.
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Betty, Kaye, Kent, My sincere sympathy Ill always remember the fun we had in Dads Club Softball with Gale as our coach. Also the Campfire Girls Dad Daughter Date nights. He was always happy with a smile on his face. He always made me feel welcome in your house. Those were the days, werent they May God comfort you all during this difficult time. You are in my prayers. Kay Dito
Dear Betty, Kent & Kaye, so sorry to hear about Gale's passing. He was a good boss and friend. I always enjoyed the times we had together. I will always remember the talks we had together out in the garden at MWA. He was a great mentor to me. Sincerely! Grant Lemen
To Betty and Family: I worked with Gale for many years at Modern Woodmen. He was a dedicated caring person who was liked by all. When he was manager of Administrative Services, we planned and built the Printing and Shipping Center. Gale's first love was computers and as manager of Data Processing made many improvements to the system. He will be missed by his Modern Woodmen family. God Bless Gale!
Betty, Everyone here at HDC sends our sympathies to you and your family. Gale was a wonderful friend and advocate to people with disabilities here at the Center. Thank you for thinking of us during this difficult time. Sending prayers.
Dear Fellow 1970 CHS Classmate, We want to extend our sincere sympathy and condolences at this time of your loss. We hope you can look back at your good memories for comfort and peace to ease your heart. Respectfully,
Dear Betty - You have our sympathy in the loss of Gale. Our friendship was brief at Grace but meaningful never the less. Sincerely, Bev/Norm
Betty, we are so sorry to hear about Gale. We fid not hear of his passing, and only realized it when I finally looked at HDC newsletter and saw memorials. He will be sorely missed. Our prayers are with you. Going to look at a map and see where Huntley is!!