Rev. Glen Arthur Halbe

Rev. Glen Arthur Halbe

1932 - 2020

Rev. Glen Arthur Halbe, Racine, died Thursday, Dec. 17, at Ascension Hospice He was tested for Covid-19 the day before Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving Day, his 65th wedding anniversary, was spent in quarantine but shared via Zoom with his wife Beverly, children Gregory and Rebecca, nieces, nephews, and sister-in-law and brother-in-law Sharon and Paul Simmons. Positive test results came on the first Sunday of Advent.

He was born at home in Villa Park, IL, on February 9, 1932, the youngest of four children. He maintained lifelong friendships with his classmates at Villa Park High School and Elmhurst College. At Elmhurst, he met Beverly Sue Leimkuhler, and they were married November 26, 1955, at her home church, St. Matthews Evangelical and Reformed, in Riverside, MO.

Glen's adult life centered on family, the theater, community service, his Christian faith, and social justice activism grounded in that faith. His professional career began with on-air and management positions in radio stations in Kansas, Nebraska, and the Chicago suburbs. He discerned a mid-life call to Christian ministry, partly as a result of his leadership of a social justice march in support of the ministry of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He enrolled at Chicago Theological Seminary, graduating in 1972. While at CTS, he served in Jesse "Ma" Houston's prison ministry, a part of Jesse Jackson's Operation Breadbasket/PUSH. He served United Church of Christ congregations in Salina, KS; Manitou Springs, CO; Provo, UT; and Hamilton and Cincinnati, OH. After retirement from full-time ministry, he served as interim minister in several churches throughout the Midwest. As Beverly's employment moved from Cincinnati to Chicago, his service at Union Grove UCC and Raymond UCC brought them to Racine.

He helped found a community theater group in Chanute, KS and was an active amateur thespian on stages in Grand Island, NE; Salina, KS; Provo, UT; and Racine, WI. His community service also included membership in Lions and Kiwanis clubs. His social justice activism ranged from work in fair and affordable housing advocacy in Provo, UT, to the Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice.

A lifelong fan of the Chicago Cubs and baseball in general, he attended Game 7 of the 1945 World Series and watched the Cubs win the 2016 Series, surrounded by family at home. In retirement, he ushered for the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers.

He is preceded in death by parents Earl Oscar and Pearl Leola Agnes Halbe, and by siblings Maurine Jans, Marilyn Brunton, and Thomas Halbe. He is survived by his wife, Beverly, children Gregory Alan and Rebecca Sue Halbe, nine nieces and nephews, and sister-in-law and brother-in-law Sharon and Paul Simmons.

A celebration of life will be held when travel and gathering are deemed safe.

Memorial gifts may be sent to Glen's church home, Sacred Journeys Spiritual Community, or to St. Monica's Senior Living Center, where he was in care.

Sacred Journeys Spiritual Community, PO Box 081515, Racine, WI 53408 St. Monica's Senior Living Center, 3920 N Green Bay Rd, Racine, WI 53404

MARESH-MEREDITH & ACKLAM FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATORY

803 MAIN ST. RACINE, WI 53403

(262)634-7888

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