Clarence “Hawk” LaMire, age 95, of Green Lake, passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, January 19, 2019, with his wife and family members by his side. Hawk and his identical twin, Lawrence, were born in Duluth, MN, on May 19, 1923, the sons of William and Lenore (Piche) LaMire. When Hawk was three, the family moved to Racine, WI.
To help support his family during the Great Depression, Hawk left school at age 16 to serve in the Civilian Conservation Corps. He also worked for the Case Company in Racine. Hawk and his twin brother, Lawrence, were drafted in 1943, to serve in World War II.
Their father, concerned about his sons, wrote to President Franklin D. Roosevelt to ask that they be assigned together. The White House replied that they would be assigned to separate companies, but both within the famed 101st Airborne Division, the “Screaming Eagles”. Hawk served as a paratrooper and infantry rifleman, and spent most of the war in Belgium and Germany.
His company fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and took part in the 1945 capture of the hotel where the SS stayed while protecting Hitler’s Eagles’ Nest in Berchtesgaden. In a twist of fate, he met up with his twin there and they sailed back to the U.S. together after the war. Hawk was a corporal and technician 5th grade in the U.S. Army.
He was awarded a Bronze Star for his significant achievements in a combat zone. Hawk continued his service in the Wisconsin National Guard, attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant. In 2013, he was honored to be selected to participate in an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. with fellow World War II veterans.
Hawk was active in veterans’ activities, marching in local parades, speaking to groups of school children and as a member of VFW Post 7308 in Kenosha, WI, and the American Legion Post 306. After World War II, Hawk worked at the Massey-Harris Company, which built agricultural equipment. In 1958, he began a career at American Motors in Kenosha, WI, where he stayed until retirement in 1985.
On November 20, 1948, Hawk married his lifelong companion, Joann Zerneke, whom he had met on a blind date. They spent more than 70 years together in Wisconsin. In their retirement, they co-created and managed Sadie Hawk Antiques in Green Lake, WI, a “must stop” destination for enthusiastic antique seekers in the region.
The shop gave Hawk the opportunity to use his talents and pursue his hobbies of woodworking, restoring furniture and building clocks. Hawk was a voracious reader, an avid hunter and a host of Civil War re-enactments. He was also an active member of the Christ Church Methodist in Racine, WI, until he moved from the area.
He most cherished the times he spent riding his Harley ‘Hog’ with Joann in their younger years. He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Joann LaMire of Green Lake, WI; nephew, Kenneth Musolf; sister-in-law, Billie Mashuda, her children and grandchildren; brother-in-law, Art Zirger; nieces, Billie Jo and Cheryl ; nephews, Scott, Arthur, and their families who visited him often from throughout the U.S.; other members of his wife’s extended family; many friends, especially Gary & Marsha Krahn , Guy Gorsky, and fellow veterans. He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Lenore LaMire; brother, Lawrence; sister, Evelyn.
We are especially grateful for the nightly phone calls from his niece, Billie Jo, for over 20 years from all around the world. No immediate services are planned. A Celebration of Life is anticipated at a later date.
Memorials may be made to Old Glory Honor Flight, 4650W Spencer Street, Appleton, WI, 54914. Please visit our website www. wachholzandsons.com to send a condolence or to share a memory of Clarence with his family.
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