Theodore Charles "Ted" Hacker

Theodore Charles "Ted" HACKER Passed away September 29, 2006. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 6, 1918 to Homer Haynes Hacker, Sr. and Eleanor Fairfoul Barker Hacker. Ted's family moved around from Philadelphia, to Bridgeton, New Jersey, to Dallas, Texas and then on to San Diego, California. There Ted met the love of his life, Norma Elizabeth Newman, at St. James By-The-Sea Episcopal Church in La Jolla, where he sang bass and she sang alto in the church choir. They married on June 30th, 1939. Norma always wanted to be a June bride and this way they could get in the most paychecks possible, and still be married in June. In 1937, Ted joined Consolidated Aircraft, where worked on the PBY4 team. Norma worked there, too, as one of the first "Rosie the Riveters." In 1942 Ted moved to Ryan Aeronautical where he specialized in designing exhaust systems for most of the U.S. heavy bomber fleet during WWII. He had 17 patents for his exhaust system designs -- he was proud of that. In 1961, Ted moved on to Boeing and the whole family moved to Seattle, where most have lived ever since. He became a life-long Husky fan his first season in Seattle and attended virtually every Husky football home game for the next 42 years. He is known to many members of the family as "The Purple Guy" since he owned - and wore - just about every piece of Husky paraphernalia there has ever been - even when the various shades of purple didn't quite match. He loved to travel. When he retired in 1982, Ted and Norma took a four-month trip to the South Pacific, re-tracing the routes his grandfather sailed in 1889-1900 on the collier U.S.S. Abarenda. Ted also loved to organize. Give him a troop of chimps and, with enough time and bananas, he'd have them marching in the Rose Parade. Among the groups he's helped organize are Toastmasters, Boeing Management Club, the ECRC Drafting Panel, various vestries at Episcopal Churches around the country including St. Johns in Kirkland, WA and the Homeowners Association at Pacific Regent in Bellevue, WA where he lived for years. Ted attended St. Johns Episcopal in Kirkland, WA, for years. He is preceded in death by his parents, his wife, 1 brother, Homer Haynes Hacker, Jr., 1 sister, Eleanor Fairfoul Hacker. Mr. Hacker is survived by children, Robert C. Hacker (Jo Anne), Bainbridge Island, WA, Kathryn Joan Hacker, Bakersfield, CA, 1 brother, Jackson Barker Hacker (Dorothy), San Diego, grandchildren, Kristin Elizabeth Collins (Sean), Amy Suzanne Hacker, great grand children, Eleanor Collins and Luke Robert Collins. Funeral Services will be held 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, October 4, 2006 at St. Johns Episcopal, 105 State St., Kirkland. Interment to follow at Sunset Hills. Arrangements by Bonney-Watson Capitol Hill.