Henry “Hank” Howard Mashke died on Friday August 19, 2011. He passed away peacefully in his sleep with his wife Mary by his side. Hank Mashke was born Jan. 1, 1933 to Ester Loewe and Henry K. Mashke. He lived in Chicago on Monticello Ave. with his parents, uncle and grandmother. With the passing of his mother after a long illness, Hank, or Henry, as everyone called him in those days, became a big help, shopping and keeping everyone company. He never realized until he was older that they were teaching him to be the great caring person he became in his adult life.
He was an only child but was fortunate to meet wonderful friends, Ernie, Jeanette, Paul, Sally, Howie, Marilyn, and others who became his “brothers and sisters”. He always spoke of the fun times he shared at their homes whether it was just playing cards and board games, or sharing a front porch and sitting around talking. Of course his love of cars was there from early on. He convinced his dad they needed one explaining it would be easier for his dad if Hank drove him to work or stores rather than riding the bus. He had many different cars over the years. He watched car auctions and subscribed to several vintage automobile magazines. Hank’s other widely known love was for motorcycles. He even had one in the kitchen of his first mobile home. He would come home from his job and work on a box of parts until he put it together and could ride it. He and Mary loved to ride their Gold Wing, even going across country to a rally. That was the highlight of his biking experiences. Hank’s other interests included photography, videography, old time radio shows, and of course the Chicago Bears. But most of all, he enjoyed spending time with the family.
In the 1950’s Hank served in the U.S. Army. He was a member of the Illinois National Guard and then was drafted in the U.S. Army for two years. Most of his military time was spent in Georgia in their communication division. After returning home, he continued his education at DeVry in electronics. He then worked with Motorola. Some time later he started working in the printing field. Hank spent most of his career in printing sales at Johnson Printers, his favorite job.
Hank was a loving husband for 45 years to his wife Mary. Together they raised two wonderful children, Jeffery & Steven. Hank’s daughters: Laurie, Gail, and Gwyn moved to the West coast, and were always in his thoughts. He was the grandfather of 10 amazing grandchildren: Fletcher and Sophia Mashke; Danny, Amanda, Robert, and Melissa Minor; Brooke and Brycen Buckingham; Kelly and Kyle Widergren. Hank was a great family man. He always enjoyed family vacations which included camping, skiing, horseback riding, and travel throughout the US. In addition to the kids, Hank loved his golden retrievers, KT & Puppy and his new boxer friend Frankie.
A memorial service for Hank will be held on Saturday August 27th at Saint Huberts Church (729 Grand Canyon Street, Hoffman Estates, Il, 60169, 847-885-7700). A pre-gathering visitation will be held at 10 am, followed by mass at 11 am. Lunch will be provided on site following the services.