Stephen Arne Hanke died Jan. 31, 2025.
He was born May 5, 1953, to George Hanke and Mary Jane (Ringstad) Hanke. Born into the rural life, Steve was the oldest of five siblings, raised as the fourth generation on the Hanke family farm in Wittenberg. His foundational memories were of regular family gatherings at his grandparents’ Split Rock farm, after-school cookies with his grandmother across the road, and childhood antics with his closest brother, Jesse. He graduated from Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School in 1971 and completed his bachelor’s degree at UW-Milwaukee in 1978.
An unassuming man of quietude and solitude, Steve exemplified the farmer’s mystique, his heart identifying strongly with writer Jerry Apps. He was a man of the earth, grounded. His passions followed the seasons: syruping in the spring; gardening, haying and cultivating berries in the summer; cutting firewood and hunting in the fall; snowshoeing and fireside-sitting at the cabin in the winter.
A love affair with flowers saw him ritualistically planting rows of zinnias in his roadside garden, trellising mounds of morning glories up the martin house pole and assuring that heritage peonies smiled at onlookers. A tidy and mowed lawn was his hallmark.
Steve loved animals and loved engaging with life in the barn. For years, he raised beef cattle and pigs, discerning their personalities, naming each one. He befriended every barn cat, making it a goal to establish a relationship in which they ended up on his lap. His philosophy was simple: while they lived with him, his “beasts” would have the best life he could give them. Frequent visits to the barn throughout the day prompted the joke, “If that rut from your back door to the barn door gets any deeper, you won’t be able to see over the top.”
Always eager to be outdoors, Steve patiently observed nature, sitting with his fishing pole at a trout stream hole on the cusp of a rainstorm, while his mind engineered solutions. He was an expert marksman, knowing that three shots at the target would yield only one hole. He enjoyed contemplatively watching and listening in the hunting stand, never feeling pressured, accuracy unquestioned.
Hunting season and the fall were always harbingers of yearning for Steve’s favorite foods: he might be the only person on earth that would request lutefisk, Limburger, lefse and one-third of a beer for his last meal. Most of the family never quite warmed to this palette — except for the lefse and consuming the remainder of the beer.
Born to be a father and, subsequently, a grandfather, Steve led by example and faced challenges not hastily, but methodically and with thought. He was a steadfast man of character, conscience and routine. He knew his mind and his boundaries, indelibly ingraining his personality into family. And family was everything to him. He fostered a healthy lifestyle and love of the outdoors in his children. Inheriting a passion for baseball from his father, he passed along his love of the game. He was an avid runner.
Steve’s avocation was caregiving. If not caring for livestock, he was caring for people. As an occupational therapist, he spent his life working with severely developmentally disabled adults. After the state closed residential facilities, Steve spent the next 13 years as an adult family home sponsor, requesting the most difficult of clients. He provided residential care for two challenging individuals, whom the entire Town of Wittenberg got to know. There was no opting out by family, leaving us all with more than memories.
Once Steve became ill, a surprise turn of events led him into providing care for his granddaughter, while he could, for two years since her infancy. He fed her, changed her, rocked her, walked nights with her, cuddled her. Cece became the apple of his eye, bringing him joy and purpose during his remaining time. Steve was holding out for the birth of his fourth grandchild but missed Rosalie by three days.
With an emotional and romantic heart, Steve was the crier in the family. He loved a tearjerker or Hallmark movie as much as anyone. The light of his heart shined for his wife and never dimmed in its loving anticipation of being together. Steve and Mary found their favorite person in each other. They were a team and together, 1+1=3.
People who knew Steve felt their lives enriched. His legacy is kindness and a desire to carry on in his footsteps. Husband, father, grandfather, partner, mentor. He will be missed so very, very much.
Steve is survived by his wife, Mary Lucas; children, Tina (Bud) Kaney, Todd (Chrissy) Hanke, Karl Hanke; stepchildren, Daisha Lucas, Stratton Lucas; grandchildren, Forrest Kaney, Cody Kaney, Cecelia Hanke, Rosalie Hanke; siblings, Jesse (Carla) Hanke, Polly (Tom) Hirn, Kelly Hanke; former spouse, Donna (Steve) Resch.
He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Mary Jane Hanke; and brother, Terry Hanke, who died in childhood.
Steve donated his body to science. A private scattering of cremains will ensue.
Stephen Arne Hanke
