Service Details
A memorial service celebrating his life will be held in the funeral home on Friday, February 10th, at 4:00 p.m. with Rev. Richard J. Molter officiating. Full military honors will follow. Visitation will be in the funeral home on Friday from 3:00 p.m. until the time of the service. In lieu of flowers the family has suggested memorials to either HALO or the Agerholm-Gross Detachment #346.
Robert C. Verhaeghe, 95, passed away at his residence on Friday, February 3, 2017. He was born in Racine, the son of the late Arthur and Elizabeth (nee: Vanhaverbeke) Verhaeghe, on May 27, 1921, his mother’s 32nd birthday (that should have taught her something).
Mr. Verhaeghe was educated in the schools of Racine: Beebe School,
McKinley Jr. High School, and Washington Park High School Class of 39. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 1943. Mr. Verhaeghe joined the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in 1942, and was called to active duty in 1943. He taught in the Marine Artillery School. He was discharged in 1946 as a First Lieutenant.
On September 9, 1944, he was united in marriage to the love of his life, the former Jeanette Louis Agerholm, after an eight year courtship.
She preceded him in death on September 25, 2009. Mr. Verhaeghe joined the Modine Co. in 1946 as an engineering trainee. He held various positions with the company and in 1984, after 38 years of service, he retired as Vice President of Engineering and Quality Control. Mr. Verhaeghe enjoyed hunting, shooting, fast pitch baseball, golf, volleyball, and gardening. He was a member of St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church and the Modine 20 Year Club.
Surviving are his children; Patricia Paar, Jeffrey Verhaeghe, Jane (Eric) Schumann, John (Susan) Verhaeghe, all of Racine, and Judy (Terry) Vance of Scottsdale, AZ; thirteen grandchildren, Anthony (Audrey) Paar,
Kendra (Kurt) Korth, Sarah (Jim) Burns, Neil Verhaeghe, Benjamin (Daria) Schumann, Rebecca (Eric) Taylor, Elizabeth (Nick) Jahnke, Andy Verhaeghe, Riley Verhaeghe, Spencer Verhaeghe; Leah (Sam) Dominguez, Ty (Alexis) Vance, and Kelly (Steve) Huenink; nine great grandchildren Kate, Lauren, Amelia, Caroline, Sloan, Sienna, Dominic, Levi, and Hazel. In addition to his parents and beloved wife, Mr. Verhaeghe was preceded in death by his brother, George (Grace) Verhaeghe, and sister, Jeanette (John) Benicek.
Diane Arndt Kamm says
Your Dad was such a kind man. I will miss seeing him out putting at Johnsons Park and running into him at the Piggly Wiggly. He had the best hugs. My deepest sympathy.
Susan Falendysz says
Bob was my boss for a couple of years when I worked at Modine (I was his administrative assistant). He was a kind and motivated person. I’ll always be grateful that I had the opportunity to work for him. Rest in peace, Bob!
Jim Rulseh - Salem, WI says
Very sad news. My deepest sympathies on your loss. Bob was an amazing man. Bob was THE reason I decided to work for Modine. I interviewed with him right out of college and he left such a positive impression on me. I figured if a guy like this could work for a company for 30 plus years and still be so happy and enthusiastic about the Company and work in general, then this was a place I wanted to be. I tried very hard to carry his positive attitude forward in my own career.
While he was small in stature, he was always a giant in my eyes and in the eyes of many others he touched.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.
John Kmosena says
I remember Bob as a serious person, but often he used humor to his benefit. He was responsible for ‘Quality Control’ in addition to engineering. My boss, Jim Firestone (Quality Director), reported to Bob. Jim was known to embellish situations to get his point across. This was commonly known as the “Firestone factor”. Bob would come to me after reading one of Jim’s reports, and say something like “… OK, Mr. Kmosena, I need a Firestone factor translation, what in the h… is going on in Joplin (or any other plant) – I don’t know if I should send the Marines or the rescue squad”. Wow what great times and memories.