Henry "Hank" Horlacher, 76, of Flossmoor Illinois died peacefully surrounded by loved ones on June 9, 2025, after a long, courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. 

Hank was born In Eau Claire, Wisconsin on March 24, 1949 to Henry and Phyllis Horlacher. The son of a farmer with the heart for the big city, he moved to Chicagoland and settled in Park Forest, Illinois with his very young family in 1974. Soon after, he began a long, fulfilling career as a Mental Health Supervisor at the Elizabeth Ludeman Center in Park Forest, IL, working for the state for almost 43 years. He was the supervisor loved by many, a voice for the forgotten, under-privileged or misplaced souls that were often residents at Ludeman. He also moonlighted as an associate in the shoe department at Carson Pirie Scott in Lincoln Mall for 30 years, which became more of a hobby for him than anything. Later in life, he finished his college degree in sociology at Xavier University and continued working at Ludeman until his retirement in 2016. When he wasn't spending time with his children or grandchildren, he was home watching political news or old sitcoms like "All in the Family" and his very favorite, "I Love Lucy." His superior memory for a vast array of random knowledge made Hank the guy everyone wanted on their trivia team. 

Hank was a people-person and made friends with just about everyone. He had a real knack for remembering birthdays, if you told him the date once, he would recall it years later and be sure to remind you not to forget (insert name's) birthday. He enjoyed a good conversation about anything, especially politics. As a staunch liberal and lover of animals, Hank always fought for the underdog, donating to nearly every charity from the ASPCA to the ACLU, fighting the good fight to make the world a better place. He loved Rachel Maddow just as much as he loved sports, owning season tickets to Northwestern football for the last 25 years, watching as many Cubs games as humanly possible and attending his children's and grandchildren's basketball games whenever he was able. 

Hank was always on his own schedule and constantly running late. His family coined the term "Hank time" aka "Papa Hank time" by his grandchildren. Unless there was a sporting event that he was attending, which meant he would be 30 minutes early, "Hank time" was anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes later than scheduled. His motto was, "It will be fine," which brought comfort in difficult times as well as angst when you were depending on him to arrive for a party, event or appointment. He was a calm, caring soul with a huge heart, always taking in animals and friends who needed a place to stay. His infectious smile and the warm personality he brought into a room instantly made anyone feel better.

Hank is survived by his three children, Jason (Tina) Horlacher, Christopher (Jerad) Horlacher and Shauna Recupito; grandchildren Kristin (Jake) Wiley, Kayla (Chris) Hise, Kyle Horlacher, Jacob Recupito, Sofia Recupito, and great grandchildren Henry and Lanie; sisters Marlys (Duane) Sterry and Marion (Roger) Felton; numerous nieces and nephews; and many, many friends that he considered family. To honor his wishes, there will be a private family gathering with a celebration of life for family and friends later this year. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in his name to the South Suburban Humane Society or any animal rescue, the ACLU, Human Rights Campaign or liberally progressive group of your choice. 

As Hank would always say at the end of a conversation, "Well, alright then." May he rest in peace knowing he was so loved by many and left a beautiful impression in the world. While he is no longer with us in the physical sense, he will remain in our hearts forever.

Published by Legacy Remembers on Jun. 17, 2025