Harmon Dean Ingwersen

On June 22, 2014, Jesus extended His hand to Harmon Dean Ingwersen, 82, of St. Joseph, MI, and graciously carried him to heaven.  Harmon was born in 1931 in Toledo, OH, graduated from DeVilbiss High School in Toledo in 1949, and entered the US Air Force in 1952. Graduating from the University of Toledo in 1958, Harmon joined Owens Corning Fiberglass where he met his wife, Delora (Dee) Lau.  They married in June of 1958.  Harmon’s career focused on leveraging the power of data processing and IT systems for business use from the nascent beginnings of IT systems.  His career led him to Heath Company in St. Joseph, MI, in 1967 and on to roles at Zenith Corporation and ultimately Schlumberger LTD, establishing global data processing and IT standards for this multi national organization.  The family relocated to Naperville, IL, and Fairfield, CT, as part of this journey.  Harmon retired in 1993 and returned with Dee to St. Joseph, MI. His father and grandfather helped him hone his carpentry and “fix it” skills, building barns, garages and houses in his youth, including the first home for Dee and Harmon in Sylvania, OH.  Harmon loved boating, building his first boat while in high school.  Everything related to aviation was a life-long hobby; exploring aviation museums all across the country, volunteering at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo and passing that fascination on to his children and grandchildren.  Harmon’s also enjoyed an appreciation of art, particularly the French Impressionists.  Despite physical limitations related to injuries from a bus crash in 1971, Harmon took up golfing later in life. Most of all, he enjoyed spending time with people, forming close life-long friendships with work colleagues, church friends and neighbors.  In his retirement, Harmon loved hearing about the activities of the next generation of both friends and family, including the Bells, Meyers and Ingwersens.  Always quick with a smile and a laugh, an offer to help, a willingness to listen, a commitment to others, and a belief in the best in all of us was his way of life. Harmon is survived by his daughter, Karen; son, Kevin; daughter-in-law, Sally Ann; beloved grandsons, Matthew and Bryan; as well as his sister and brother-in-law, Marilyn and Bill Meyer; brothers in law, Don Bell and Frank Lau Jr.; and six nieces and nephews.  Harmon was preceded in death by his wife, Dee; his daughter, Debra Lynn Ingwersen; his parents, Katherine and Arthur Ingwersen, his sister, Alice Bell; and his niece, Barbara Shaw. A Celebration of Life Eternal will be at 11 am Friday at Christ Lutheran Church, 4333 Cleveland Avenue, Stevensville, MI.  Friends may visit from 4-7 pm Thursday at Starks & Menchinger Chapel, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph, MI.  Those wishing to sign Harmon’s memory book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. In lieu of flowers please consider giving a donation to one of Harmon’s favorite charities:  the Kalamazoo Air Zoo Legacy Foundation, 6151 Portage Road, Portage, MI 49002; the Humane Society of Southwest Michigan, 641 S. Crystal Ave., Benton Harbor, MI 49022; or the Center for US Missions, 1530 Concordia West, Irvine, CA 92612.