James Joseph Haack

James Joseph Haack, 77, of Bemidji, MN died Wednesday, April 10, 2024 at Neilson Place in
Bemidji.
Memorial Services will be held at 11:00 am Friday, April 19, 2024 at Cease Family Funeral
Home in Bemidji with Pastor Mike Naylor officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the
service. Interment for family will be at the Greenwood Cemetery in Bemidji under the direction
of the Cease Family Funeral Home in Bemidji. Immediately following interment the family
welcomes guests to Backwoods Bar and Grill to remember Jim.
Jim was born February 13, 1947 in Fargo, North Dakota, the son of Marlin "Buck" and Loraine
(Anderson) Haack. He was raised and educated in Bemidji, Minnesota graduating from Bemidji
High School in 1965. He attended North Dakota State University in Fargo to study Mechanical
Engineering. During his time at NDSU, Jim spent his summers smoke jumping for the US Forest
Service. After gradating college in 1970 he was drafted into the Army. He spent a year in
Vietnam as a combat engineer, earning a Bronze Star for his heroic efforts. Upon returning to
the states, he was stationed in San Francisco at the Presidio. He moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin
in 1972 to work at Factory Mutual. In 1979 he came back to Bemidji and founded Haack
Engineering which he successfully operated until he retired in 2005.
On July 4th, 1976 Jim met the love of his life, Judy Pribbernow. They were married on August
12th, 1978 in Longwood, Wisconsin. Together they raised their children, Jeff and Becky in
Bemidji. Jim was an avid outdoorsman and spent many hours hunting and fishing with his
friends and family. The ultimate social butterfly there wasn't anyone Jim wouldn't strike up a
conversation with.
He is survived by his son Jeff (Tracy) Haack of Bemidji and daughter Becky (Tony) Hanson of
Bemidji; five grandchildren: Matthew, Emily, and Henry Haack, Aubrey and Elyse Hanson; his
sister Barb (Dick) Anderson of Bemidji; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife in 2017, his parents, one sister Bev (Dave) Cronk of Eden
Prairie, Minnesota, and his niece Jennifer Lovering.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the National Smoke Jumpers Association or the Bemidji Education Foundation at the Northwest Minnesota Foundation.