Gerhard Richard Becker, 92, of Eagle River, WI passed away in his home, while surrounded by family, on October 3, 2024. He did so with the confidence that he was joining his Lord and Savior.
He was born on January 27, 1932, in his family's home in Pforzheim, Germany to Johannes and Gertrud (Mürle) Becker. He was the seventh of nine children. His secondary education was disrupted by World War II, and therefore Gerhard began apprenticing as a tool-and-die tradesman (mold maker) at the age of 13 and completed trade school.
He held a number of skilled trade positions, and in 1952, he met Hilde Mürle at a church choir practice. They married in 1954, and several weeks later, departed from Bremen, Germany on a ship bound for Quebec, Canada. Within a few years, they built a home in Windsor, Ontario, before moving to Chicago, IL and then Naperville, IL, where they raised their two daughters and lived for 35 years.
Gerhard had an incredibly strong work ethic, yet also made time to enjoy life and appreciate God's creation. He worked for many years as a tool-and-die maker in the Chicago area and because of his high skill level, became responsible for training the apprentice mold makers.
In 1968, Gerhard and Hilde purchased lakefront property on Kentuck Lake while vacationing in the Northwoods, and Gerhard built the family's cabin there with only the occasional help of a friend or neighbor. Gerhard and Hilde relished the time that they spent vacationing there year-round with their daughters.
Gerhard had an adventurous spirit and was especially fond of boating and driving snowmobiles and German automobiles. He was also incredibly handy and could repair almost anything using his exhaustive collection of tools, even manufacturing parts if they were not available.
Gerhard retired in 1994, and he and Hilde lived year-round at Kentuck Lake since 1995. During his retirement, he picked up several new hobbies, including mountain biking, kayaking, bird feeding, harvesting wild rice, and making maple syrup with a close group of friends.
He was active for many years monitoring Kentuck Lake as a member of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource's Citizen Lake Monitoring Network and as a volunteer fireman for the Hiles Volunteer Fire Department. He was also an active member of Our Savior Lutheran Church of Eagle River, WI. Gerhard and Hilde recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.
Gerhard is survived by his wife Hilde of Eagle River; daughter Christina (George) Franco of Springfield, VA; daughter Jennifer Becker (Eric Seagren) of Hancock, MI; and grandchildren, Stephanie (Abhinav Sehgal) Franco, George Henry Franco, Ingrid Seagren, and Birk Seagren.
Gerhard's was a life well-lived. He loved the Lord and his family, and he truly relished his home on Kentuck Lake, a good meal, and many of the other joys of day-to-day living. He was one-of-a-kind and is dearly missed by all!
Gerhard was preceded in death by his parents; his siblings Hans Becker, Elfriede (Karl) Burkhard, Erika Becker, Gertrud (Ernst) Stephan, Reinhold (Edith) Becker, Marianne (Heinz) Züfle, Günter (Elisabeth) Becker, and Walter (Evi) Becker, and brother-in-law Rudolf Mürle.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Monday, October 14, 2024, at Our Savior Lutheran Church, 223 Silver Lake Rd, Eagle River, WI 54521. Visitation with the family present will begin one hour before the service. Interment will be at 2:30 p.m., October 14, 2024, at the Phelps Cemetery, Phelps, WI.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wisconsin Lakes & Rivers Partnership or to Our Savior Lutheran Church. To donate to the Wisconsin Lakes & Rivers Partnership, go to
https://give.uwsp.edu/give-now. Type "Lakes" into the search bar, and when "No Results" comes up, scroll down and enter the fund name, "Wisconsin Lakes Partnership Program".
Arrangements by Gaffney-Busha Funeral Home, Eagle River. Online condolences may be expressed at
gaffney-busha.com
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