Harold William Flesner

Harold William Flesner was born 27 July 1931 in Huron, South Dakota to Alfred and Harriet (Rowcliffe) Flesner. He grew up in tough times and had to find meaningful work at an early age, with various jobs as a young man, notably as a teenage taxi-driver in Huron and soon after as a truck driver making the arduous journey to and from Alaska. He learned the lessons of hard work, working with your hands, and working with people which leant themselves to his later works in life.

In 1950 he joined the Navy where he took a position as a Machinists Mate on the USS Libra. After 4 years he left the Navy and pursued an education for the next 5 years at South Dakota State University. After graduating with a bachelors degree Harold went back to the Navy, which he loved, and worked as a Navigator on Navy aircraft, with operations in the Pacific and Antarctica (Operation Deep Freeze), and as an intelligence officer, which included service in the Republic of Vietnam. He was also involved in Operation Power Pack in the Dominican Republic in 1965. He left the Navy in 1971 with the following decorations: National Defense Service Medal w/gold star, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Navy Commendation Medal w/Combat “V”, Navy Unit Commendation w/2 stars, and the Vietnam service medal.

After the Navy, Harold went on to work with Gambles Hardware, Radio shack, Handy Dan Home Improvement Center, Hugh M. Woods Home Improvement Center and finally Hoffman Heights Hardware store where many of us know him from and where he met his wife of 25 years, Gale (Kingston) Flesner. In retirement he and Gale traveled extensively between their residences in Aurora Colorado, Estes Park Colorado, Plainview Nebraska, and Harlingen Texas. Harold became a life-time member of the Disabled American Veterans chapter 21, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3631, the American Legion of Colorado, and the Old Antarctic Explorers Association .

He is survived by his wife Gale and her children Julaine, Martin, Kevin, and Michael, his son John Flesner and Wife Sherri and their children Travis and Marissa and by his daughter Kay (Flesner)Tiffany, her husband Eric and their child Reece. He is also survived by 11 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren, John and Kay’s mother Marion Eckelberger, and a host of very close friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Bob and his sisters Ruth and Mary Ellen.