Obituary of Lawrence Harwig

Lawrence Harwig of Cheyenne Wells passed away June 29, 2011 at Cheyenne Manor in Cheyenne Wells. Lawrence was born on March 7, 1917 in Crab Orchard, Nebraska the third child of Thomas and Mahtilda Harwig. The Harwig family moved several times from 1917 to 1933 finally settling at a farm northeast of Eads, Colorado. Lawrence started school in Arkansas and graduated from Eads High School in 1935. After graduation, Lawrence worked for various farmers in Eads and Cheyenne Wells. Later he worked drilling wells, driving trucks, and as an automobile mechanic for Tuck Schaffer. In 1948 he joined the John Deere dealership owned by John Mahlberg, later owned by Skip and Edna Bieber. He continued his career as a farm implement mechanic retiring originally at the age of 65 in 1982. After 3 days, his wife, Esther, told him to find something to do and returned to work part time until May 2000. During his career, Lawrence was known throughout Eastern Colorado and Western Kansas as the “Go-To Guy” and the John Deere expert. At one point, he invented an attachment for a bailer which John Deere patented in his name. During the last 10 years of his career, he became somewhat of an expert in restoring old tractors and was contacted by people as far away as Iowa to help with their restoration projects. Lawrence and his brother, Paul, attended local dances where he met his future wife, Esther Mahlberg. Lawrence and Esther were married at Sacred Heart Church in Cheyenne Wells, Colorado on June 4, 1940. They had six daughters over a period of 19 years. Lawrence liked to travel and loved the Rocky Mountains. In the early years, when money was tight, he took the family to the mountains for a few days nearly every summer. Later, he and Esther broadened their travels to include their birthplaces as well as Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and the Great Northwest. Although the girls are grown, Lawrence was always their first source of advice. After Esther died in 1996, Lawrence continued to live in the family home and cruise the streets of Cheyenne Wells in his always new bright red Buick. He was a regular at the coffee shops for years and became a favorite at Nan’s with his own table. He became a resident of Cheyenne Manor in December 2010. Lawrence was preceded in death by his wife, Esther, his oldest daughter, Marilyn Bergkessel, his brother, Paul, and sister, Rosamond. He is survived by his daughters, Barbara Silliman (Charles) of Denver, Mary Jane Miller of Lakewood, Geraldine Harwig of Westminster, Debra Shank (Richard) of Cheyenne Wells, Karolyn Bertling (Steve) of Denton, Maryland and son-in-law Ron Bergkessel of Sharon, Pennsylvania, seven grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren, and his brother, Albert, of Fresno, California, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.