Dr. Edward J. Harkins

PORTAGE – Dr. Edward J. Harkins of Portage died peacefully in his home on March 21st, 2013.  He was 84 years old. Ed was raised in Kiel and Wauwatosa, Wisconsin and graduated from Marquette High School, where he failed to impress at least one guidance counselor who famously described Ed as "definitely not college material."

Following high school Ed enlisted in the service. He was proud of his years in the U.S. Marine Corps and credited his time in the corps and the opportunity provided by the G. I. Bill for much of his success. On the G.I Bill, he attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison where he met Betty Ponti, his wife of 62 years and where he prepared for enrollment in optometry school.   After Madison, he attended and graduated from the Chicago College of Optometry in 1951 and began, what was for him, a wonderful career.

He began to practice optometry in Portage in 1952 in the Harkins Eye Clinic with Lily and J.P. Harkins, his adoptive parents. He continued to serve the community with Jack O'Connor, and Dennis Harkins in the Harkins & O'Connor Eye clinic and practiced for 42 years until he retired in 1993. He loved optometry and his relationship with his patients for each of those years.  He particularly enjoyed the years that he shared his practice with his son, Dennis. He clearly followed his own advice that he always gave about work:  "If you are getting paid $5.00 an hour, then give your boss $6.00 an hour worth of work and you'll both be happy." Ed was named Wisconsin Optometrist of the Year in 1984.

Optometry also provided the opportunity for Ed to participate in one of his great passions - medical mission work. Over the years, he went on countless trips to third world countries, providing eye exams and glasses to thousands of people who would not have seen without his dedication.  But it was more than a dedication - Ed loved these trips, he loved the people, and loved the cultures.  He also respected these people and admired them for who they were and how they lived. 

Ed excelled at relaxing.  He spent years on the Wisconsin River, fishing, boating, skiing, sailing and simply watching the river go by. He essentially raised a family of boys on the water.  Some of his favorite multigenerational memories were of family fishing trips to Canada.

Even Ed's occasional quirks were endearing. He could not tell a joke. He loved to, but typically messed up the punch line - often funnier than the intended joke could ever have been. He also confused the details of stories he was telling or news he was passing on, but in a fashion true to his self-deprecating form, Ed embraced his nickname - the ‘Minister of Misinformation’.  And he liked to be on time. Being on time meant arriving hours before any ordinary person with ordinary time management skills could ever imagine. He shared this trait with some of, but not all of his family.

Ed Harkins is survived by his wife Betty (nee Ponti). They had a loving and mutually respecting marriage for 62 years.   They each gave credit to the other for raising a wonderful family, but they raised that family as a couple, and they thrived as a couple. He is also survived by his sons Jeffrey, Dennis, Charles, Tim, and Jack; by his daughters-in-law (who he frequently credited for making his life and his boys' lives better) Barbara, Jane, Mary, Lori, and Shelly; by his grandchildren David, Liz, Gwen, Julia, Daniel, Katherine, Elizabeth, Nate, Joey, Lauren, Lukas, Sam, Lilly, Grace, and Grant; by his great-granddaughter Mia; by his sister-in-law Judy Courtney; and by his stand-in daughter, and Costa Rican foreign exchange student, Yady. His family gave him great happiness, strength, and pride. 

We know that Ed was particularly grateful to Daniel, as well as Dennis, Jack, and Sam whose contributions allowed him to spend his last months at home.

Ed Harkins died peacefully for a few reasons. He knew who he was; he was comfortable with who he was; and he never tried to be anyone else. He knew that he had done his best - that he had come from modest beginnings but had lived a charmed and happy life.  And he loved his family and knew that they loved him. In his own understated way, Ed was a great man and we will miss him.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m., on Monday, March 25, 2013 at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Portage, with Fr. Jim Murphy presiding.  Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery with Military Honors provided by Portage area veterans.  Visitation will be held on Sunday, March 24, 2013 from 2 pm until 6pm at the Pflanz Mantey Mendrala Funeral Home in Portage, and on Monday from 9 am until the time of the Mass at the church.