Leonard J. Hauskey, Jr.

Leonard Jennings HauskeyOf Arlington HeightsAlthough Leonard Jennings Hauskey, 86, of Arlington Heights, Illinois passed away suddenly on November 12, 2020, his life was just the opposite: full, long, and rich....with memories, kindnesses, and other lives forever touched.The life he touched the most was in fact the love of his life, Joyce (Misic) Hauskey to whom he was married for 62 years. Back in the mid-fifties, he used his gentle charms and blond-haired good looks to coax a first date and eventually win her over. He also admitted that while Joy was a fantastic catch, he got a bonus of big dinners at his future mother-in-law’s house, often with thick pork chops and warm apple strudel. At the time, Len served his country in the Air Force. As an auditor based in Chicago for that branch, he used to joke that he only saw “wartime” action at “The Battle of O’Hare”. Born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Len actually grew up in Minneapolis, where the Scandinavian heritage from his father, Leonard, Sr., his mother, June, and his older sister, Joyce (Edwin Tauge) helped him forge a lifelong legacy of hard work, integrity, and charity.Athletic in high school, Len snow-skied, golfed, and quarterbacked the football team, where because he was quick and smart but small in stature, he was affectionately nicknamed “Mousekey”. Len turned those smarts into a business degree from the University of Minnesota, and after marrying Joy in 1958, began his illustrious, one-company-only career at Wallace Business Forms in Hillside, Illinois, working his way from staff accountant to Treasurer of the company.Len was a family man. He was proud of his daughter Linda Ann (Ed Cullen) and son James Leonard (Karen Wielgos). The Hauskey family filled their home in the Sherwood subdivision with thousands of memories - from downstairs ping-pong and “black cows” to outside croquet, badminton, and Jarts. Len planned - and drove most of the time on - the family’s many summer cross-country trips, starting each with a huge thermos of hot coffee, and being careful to document miles-per-gallon at every gas-station fill-up.Because Len retired at 59, he enjoyed a full 27 years of retirement, often using that time to travel - both internationally with Joy to Europe, Asia, Mexico, and even Africa, and around the country with family, from California to Virginia, and from Wisconsin to Florida. Ask Joy about all those adventures and trips: She’s kept a mini-journal of each one. Closer-to-home, Len had become an icon in the Sherwood neighborhood. He had been president and treasurer of the neighborhood association. With Joy, they helped plan and host many of the Christmas events, bridge clubs, summer picnics, and more. From the other early residents in the sixties to the new young families in Sherwood, Len and Joy always shared a gift of hospitality. Even as a newbie, you knew you were part of the group when you were famously greeted by Len with “Hi, I’m Len Hauskey....Tell me a little about you...”That was just one of many “Len-isms” that made him so unique and loved, from the way he’d ask about your day while holding a five-o’clock glass of scotch-and-soda and a handful of Planters peanuts....to the way he’d slam his cards on the table in semi-fake frustration when the girls won at cribbage....to the way he’d colorfully recount his last round of golf or set of tennis (which he played often, even on his last day). Len was always gentle and engaging in conversation; there was never a stranger left after Len was finished “working the room”.Len also cherished his extended family, including grandchildren Thomas Hauskey (Mallory), Rob Cullen (Carlyn), Jennifer Hauskey-Weston (Tyler), and Jacquelyn Cullen Riedel (Ben); his nieces and nephews, both on the Tauge side (Patty, Howard, Jeff, and Cindy) and the Misic side (Kristi and Mark); and of course his great-grandchildren Caroline, Theo, and Oliver. Although there are no formal funeral services, the Hauskey’s do ask that any donations be made to St. Simon’s Episcopal Church, where Len and Joy were faithful members and officers for 60 years. Len was a frequent and fierce financial contributor to many charitable causes, so any effort to pay-it-forward with a donation to your favorite charity would be a proper testament to the legacy of Len Hauskey’s full, rich, and others-focused life.