Harold Francis Winkler

Harold Francis Winkler never considered himself a religious man, but the night that his artillery battery was pinned down in a bunker under heavy enemy fire on the Korean Peninsula, he reached for the last defense he knew: he led his men in the Rosary until the concussions subsided and they were able to return fire. The prayers apparently worked. None of his men were killed or seriously wounded that night.

Harold passed away May 23, 2020 after a long illness. Born March 30, 1928 in Emmet, Nebraska, Harold lived an extraordinary life for 92 years.

Harold was the youngest of 7 children. Shortly after his 8th grade graduation, Harold was told he had to quit school and work on the family farm. That day began his 9-year career as a farmer under the supervision of his father, Joseph Winkler, and his 4 older brothers.

He had many fond memories of this time with his family, but he yearned for an education and its promise of a better life. Like many of his contemporaries in that era, Harold figured out how to “get off the farm.” He enlisted in the United States Army at age 22 and was inducted on September 14, 1950. He eagerly absorbed any education that the Army offered. He quickly acquired his GED and he took advantage of every technical training opportunity that is commanding officer permitted. While serving at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, his final and favorite position was as an Artillery Instructor. He enjoyed this position for 13 months and was promoted to Sgt. First Class. His next assignment was in Korea to serve as Chief of Firing Battery C, 31st Field Artillery Battalion. He was overseas for 9 months and 18 days of glorious and terrifying misery. For his service, he was awarded the Korean Service Medal with 2 Bronze Service Stars, the United Nations Service Medal, and a few weeks R&R in Japan.

In addition to the commendations, Harold was also awarded a profound loss of hearing and a serious case of malaria. He slowly reached maximum recovery in the VA hospital in Omaha. After his Honorable Discharge on September 13, 1953, he began training to be an electrical technician. He enrolled in the Radio Engineering Institute in Omaha, and he received his certificate as a Radio and Television Technician in 1955.

It was then that fate truly smiled on Harold. He met the love of his life, Phyllis Whetham. After a brief courtship, they were married in Emmet on September 3, 1955.

Harold and Phyllis moved to Rapid City, SD shortly after they were married. It was there that they began their life together, and where Harold launched his career. While in Rapid City, their first two daughters, Deborah and Pamela, were born.

His career brought the family to Colorado in 1958, and it was in Denver that Harold and Phyllis made their permanent home. Within the next 6 years, Harold and Phyllis were blessed with 3 more daughters: Carla, Patricia, and Barbara.

Harold continued his career in Denver with positions as a service manager with Admiral Corporation, as a ground instrumentation technician for Martin Marietta in its Titan missile program, as a maintenance engineer for Sigman Meat Packing Co., as a calibration technician at the National Bureau of Standards, and as an electrical engineer with Blair Engineering Co. Each of these positions demanded more and more expertise. Harold loved the challenge of the work, and it allowed him to acquire a deep experience in all technical, mechanical, and electrical aspects of large industrial equipment. But his fascination with the work had its dark side. Harold became the archetypal workaholic, and the stress took a brutal toll on his health and his disposition.

In 1969, Harold suffered a severe heart attack. While in the emergency room, his heart stopped beating and he recalls a strong and pleasant pull to the afterlife, but the doctors and medical staff revived him and his life was saved. It was a terrible and frightening experience for the young Winkler family.

During his slow recovery, the idea of owning his own business began to hatch, and when he was strong enough, his long-time business known as “Thermo Service” was born. He became a self-employed troubleshooter for industrial heating and air conditioning systems. “Troubleshooter” was more than just his new job description. It became his nickname, his alter ego, and even his CB radio handle during the 1970s.

Importantly, something else happened too. His doctor advised that he must figure out how to reduce stress in his daily life, so Harold began to work on his personality so that he could have more fun and enjoy the people and pleasures in his life. Beginning in the early 1970s, every weekend from early spring to late fall the family escaped to their beloved hideaway at Lake McConaughy. It was here that Harold could truly relax while he “worked hard” on fishing, boating with the kids, visiting with friends, and -- his favorite -- dancing. Harold was a terrific dancer. During this time of his life, scarcely a weekend went by without Harold and Phyllis finding a dance somewhere near the lake or in Denver.

By his own reflection, he changed his personality and vastly improved his general outlook on life. He became a much happier and accommodating person, someone who his family and friends truly cherished.

Harold retired and sold his business in 1990. He and Phyllis enjoyed 30 wonderful years of retirement as they traveled the country, spent winters near Zapata, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona, and returned to Denver each spring. Denver was always home, but it became their home base from which they traveled to reestablish ties with their extended families. Family was very important to Harold, and he recognized his role as the eldest representative from his generation. Through his unvarnished storytelling with respectful and humorous character development, he brought his ancestors to life and taught his daughters and grandchildren much of the “why’s” and the “how’s” in the history of the family.

Harold is survived by his wife, his 5 daughters, 14 adoring grandchildren, and 8 beautiful great-grandchildren. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, July 21, 2020 at 12:00 pm. The Rosary will be prior to the Mass at 11:30 am. Both being held at Light of the World Catholic Church, 10306 W Bowles Ave, Littleton, CO 80127. The burial will take place at Ft. Logan National Cemetery where Harold will receive military honors for his service to our Country.

The following is a link to a Veteran’s interview that Dad did back in 2010 with my daughter (his granddaughter) which recounts his experience in the Korean War.

https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/bib/70232