He was preceded in death by his wife of 58 years, Diana (Penny) Hickman.
He is survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Sandra and Ned Riffle of Rockford, IL; his daughter, Tracie Hickman of Statesville, NC; his daughter and son-in-law, Carrie and David Onley of Statesville, NC; his grandchildren, Evan Onley and Ella Onley of Statesville, NC; his nephew and his wife, Kelly and Annette Riffle of Byron, IL; his niece and her husband, Amber and Roger Martin of Black Earth, WI; two grandnephews, Mike Riffle (Kristen) of Byron, IL and Cameron Riffle (Tamarah) of Leaf River, IL; and one grandniece, Brenda (Jared) Cook of Byron, IL.
Harold grew up in Black Rock, AR and Rockford, IL, participating in ROTC and sports and working on automobiles with his father. He graduated from East High School in Rockford in 1959. Following high school, Harold joined the US Army, stationed in Germany as a mechanic. Following three years of active service and four years of reserve duty, he was honorably discharged in 1966.
He graduated from Milwaukee School of Engineering in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He worked at Stewart Warner Corporation and Mallory Capacitor Company in Indianapolis, IN before moving to Bennington, VT to work at Tansitor Electronics. Harold and his family moved to Statesville, NC when he began working at Roederstein Electronics. Following a brief management position at Vishay in Maine, he worked at Solarex/BP Solar in Frederick, MD before he and his wife retired to Statesville, NC.
Throughout his life, Harold was an avid golfer and woodworker and enjoyed reading westerns, gardening with his wife, and listening to Jimmy Buffett. A genuine friend, full of enthusiasm (and sarcasm) and deep affection for family and friends, he will be dearly missed by all.
The family wants to thank Iredell Home Health and its stellar nurses and therapists who provided professional care with kindness.
The family will hold private services.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Harold’s name to Hospice & Palliative Care of Iredell County, Statesville, NC.
