Laguna Woods, CA – Harlie Leroy Lunke passed away on the morning of January 16, 2022, in Orange County, California at the age of 99.  He was a dear friend, a good father and grandfather, a studied engineer, a heroic veteran, a valued mentor, and a wonderful dancer.
He is survived by his daughter, Karen Lawrie; his brother, Don Lunke; his granddaughters, Ailie and Emma Harris, and a number of nieces and nephews. He lived an extraordinary life.
Harlie will be buried with full military honors at a military cemetery in Irvine, Southern California. Funeral and burial arrangements are yet to be determined.
Harlie was born November 5, 1922, near the small town of Thief River Falls, the second son of Hilmer and Carrie (Anderson) Lunke. Harlie started life in a pioneer homestead, one room house along with his older brother Cliff and younger siblings Joyce and Don. He was an active and inquisitive child who started school in a one room schoolhouse. He was active in sports, including ice hockey, baseball, and he enjoyed hunting and fishing.
When World War II started, Harlie joined the Navy and served as an Aviation Gunners Mate. He was a tail gunner on an Attack aircraft.  His squadron, VC 88, was involved in the heroic battle of Leyte Gulf.  He was selected for flight school at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, although the war ended before he graduated and received his wings.
Harlie attended annual reunions of the VC 88 and, until his passing, was the last living member of the Squadron. He was also an active member of the American Legion and was the last WW II veteran from the American Legion Post in Laguna Woods [The Village].
After the WW II, Harlie traveled to Japan and was part of the occupation of that country supervising Japanese industries in repairing tanks, trucks, and jeeps used during the Korean War. While in Japan, Harlie starred in a Japanese movie, “Oath in the Sky,” about the post-war reunion of an American Navy flier (Harlie) and his Japanese counterpart after they had fought each other during the war.
After his active military service, Harlie returned to the U.S. to attend college.  He started at the University of Minnesota on the G.I. Bill.  He then transferred to Tri-State College, a small college in northern Indiana, where he excelled in academics and athletics and was part of the engineering fraternity, Sigma Phi Delta. Harlie then transferred to the University of Southern California (USC) where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.
After graduating from USC, Harlie became a Technical Representative for North American Aviation and provided technical support for the F86 Sabre Jet sold to NATO allies in Spain, Italy, Germany, and Greece. It was during his time in Greece that he married Wilhelmina (Billie) Cameron, the mother of his only child, Karen.
When he returned from overseas, Harlie settled in Oklahoma to become a cattle rancher who raised prized bulls. Harlie eventually ended up ranching back in his home state of Minnesota near the town of St Hilaire.
Eventually, Harlie returned to engineering and got his master’s degree in Industrial Engineering and started to work for the government at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory as the Program Manager of Uranium Enrichment.
When he retired from work, Harlie moved to Leisure World, a retirement village in Orange County, California, now called Laguna Woods (The Village).
During his illustrious tenure as a resident of The Village, Harlie was a strong advocate for good Village governance; an able second baseman on the local softball team; an enthusiastic ice hockey fan; and a passionate, and a highly skilled, champion of ballroom dance.  As a longtime member of the ELK’s Club, he enjoyed taking guests to their regular dances.
Harlie rang in 2022 on the dance floor with his friends as strong and as passionate as ever.  Here’s to an extraordinary life well-lived Harlie Lunke!
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