James Gordon Hecker Jr.

Jim Hecker, age 98, passed away on Thursday. August 7, 2025 of natural causes. He was born on June 11, 1927 to J. Gordon Hecker and Dorothee Sanders.

Jim says: Good-bye to all! For my family and friends, no sadness. I had a very good life with no regrets.

I grew up in Milwaukee, went to Rufus King H.S. and had fun with gymnastics, pole vaulting,basketball, and lifeguarding (Grandkids gave us 4 generations of guards). In later life, I enjoyed tennis, biking, and skiing. I liked sports!

I enlisted in the Navy out of H.S. and wanted to be a pilot. Yet WWII was winding down so our class didn’t get a chance to go to flight school. After discharging in August 1946, I entered UW-Madison on the G.I. bill and graduated with a B.S. chemical engineering. Highlights included meeting my wife Eunice at her sorority, Kappa Sigma activities, playing water polo and badminton in the old red gym.

After marriage in 1950, it was on to work for Alcoa near Pittsburgh. Ten years were in a process development lab providing technical service on aluminum finishes in the field. My middle ten years were in St. Louis doing fabrication and finishes for architectural applications. The last ten years were back in Pittsburgh for technical customer service. Those were great years with the birth of Jay, Nancy, and Jamie. We enjoyed their school times,vacation travels, camping, swim clubs, CO skiing, and our first dog Gus (a German short haired pointer from WI). 

We were blessed with family: James G. Hecker III (Tamera & daughters Morgan, Erica, Rachel),Nancy Bertram (Don & sons Jason, Jeff), Jamie Prost (Rob and daughters Kirsten, Hanna). Great grandchildren were Amelia & Archie Bertram and Harold Heintz. They all enriched our lives and kept us younger trying to keep up with their activities.

Retirement years were spent in Madison with tennis, swimming, UW-Madison course audits,sailing, library & coffee visits, pond walks, donuts with men’s group, and more travel. More recently, new great friends were made at 3 Pillars Community in Dousman.

A private family service is being planned to celebrate Jim’s life.

Famous sayings from our beloved Dad and Grandfather:

- I love it when a good plan comes together

- Genes, lifestyle and luck (his keys to a long life)

- Can’t you make it any fuller? (kidding to the server about his very full Old-Fashioned Cocktail)

- If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.