Harold Joseph Korbe

On August 20th, Harold Joseph Korbe drew his last breath on this planet and went to be with his Creator and Lord. Harold passed peacefully in his home. At the age of 91 his body finally let him know it was time to leave this planet and go home. Harold leaves behind so many individuals who loved and appreciated him for the way in which he chose to live his life. He was the husband of one, the son of two, the father of three, the brother of nine, the grandpa of ten, the great grandpa of thirteen and so many friends that are too numerous to count. He was preceded in death by his dad and mom as well as a brother and sister.

Harold was a hard-working man that took care of his family throughout his life. After 37 years of service to the Santa Fe railroad, Harold spent much of his next 30 some years, helping friends and family with both large and small projects. Spending a good deal of his time attending the events of grand children's activities and helping them to develop into hard working contributors of our society. He would have celebrated 65 years of marriage to his wife LouAnn come this November 22nd. On their 5th Anniversary, JFK was assassinated, and Harold would often say the restaurant was dead silent that night and the country was never the same after that.

Harold grew up in a farming community on the Osage/Coffee county line. In his younger age, he farmed with horses. As he grew older, tractors became the choice for pulling the implements. As the oldest boy in the family, he did his part to help the family, both while living at home and even later in life he still found time to go back and help as often as he could. It is frequently said that you can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy. Harold reflected that statement. He always seemed to find joy on a tractor.

Harold was called by his Uncle Sam to serve his county. His uncle (Sam) thought Harold might enjoy doing some traveling so he sent him halfway around the world to a place call Korea. When Harold would talk about this time of his life, it mostly revolved around the men he served with. He made lifelong friendships and as time moved on, Harold was one of the last survivors of his unit.

Harold was devout in his faith. As hard as he worked throughout the week, come Sunday, you would find him incorporating a day of rest. Always faithful to attend a Mass, it was seldom to never that he would miss a service. The rest of the day would be spent with his family, visiting his extended family, and depending on the time of year, doing a little hunting or a lot of fishing. As much as Harold likes fishing, he was known to have said after he retired and had some extra time, "You know, a man can only fish so much".

Harold was never one to let a day go to waste. He would impress upon others to look back at the end of the day and know you accomplished something worthwhile and did something you could be proud of. Harold would always show respect to everyone around him, regardless of the position they held or their status in society. That would be just one of the reasons others would hold him in such high regards.

Harold will be missed by many. His contributions were done often quietly, never looking for recognition or praise. Even a simple thanks would be greeted with a, "no need to thank me, glad to help". Should the rest of mankind choose to emulate his work ethic, sincere humility and respect for all, this world would be a much better place for the rest of us to live.

Visitation will be held Wednesday, August 23, 2023, from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm at Penwell-Gabel Cremations, Funerals & Receptions, Topeka, Kansas.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, August 24, 2023, 10:00 am at the St. Joseph Catholic Church, Waverly, Ks, Waverly, Kansas.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials to St. Joseph Catholic Church, 528 Pearson Ave, Waverly, KS 66871

To share a memory of Harold, or leave a special message for his family, please visit the guestbook below.