Harry P. Siaggas

Harry was born on February 27, 1938 and was received back into the hands of the Lord on October 11, 2019 in the Veterans Adminstration’s Hospice care, with his wife, MaryBeth, at his side.  He was peaceful, without pain and was adorned with the American flag he so respected and served and was given a military “final salute” ceremony.

His father Peter, immigrated to the United States in 1910, bringing his bride, Georgia, soon after. Born first generation Greek, his family lived on 14th and Highland before moving to 53rd Street in 1945.  Like many Greek families, Harry’s household hosted other immigrated Greeks as they built their dreams and new lives in America.  Harry lived in this childhood home for 74 years, until his passing.  His family has been a proud member of the Greek Orthodox Church since 1910.

Harry was drafted into the Army and went to Vietnam in 1961. He was in the Signal Corps and helped build the large communication towers which served our troops throughout the war.

In 1963 Harry began working at Wisconsin Bell, which became AT&T, as a lineman, climbing poles to repair lines, and doing home phone installations.  In 1970 he was moved indoors to become a data programmer.  Harry retired from AT&T in 1991 after 37 years.

He joined the Vagabond Ski Club in 1969 going on to be a member for 50 years. He went on many trips skiing at Zermatt, Lech, and Grindelwald, among many other places.  Harry served on the Vagabond board in 1976-1978 as the Ski Trip Director.  For 17 years he ran the Green Lake Bike and Golf Weekend.  Harry met his future wife, MaryBeth Power, and they dated for seven years before she threatened to move to Colorado to be a ski bum. The loving “nudge” worked and they married in 1978 and lived their life as one long, wonderful ski trip.

Harry Loved to ski, golf, fish and collect coins.  After retirement, he loved helping out in a large coin shop where he found his calling as an appraiser.  He and the owner went on many fishing trips to Canada, something he always looked forward to. Many exaggerate their “big catch” stories, but Harry had truth to his, as shown by the 28 1/2″ mounted Walleye which Harry insisted adorn the living room wall for ten years!

When Alzheimer’s came into his life, he kept doing what he was able to for as long as he could, and never lost his genuinely kind, caring nature. He embodied the “gentle” in, and was the quintessential gentleman.

He is survived by his wife, MaryBeth Siaggas, his brother, Spiros “Speedo” Siaggas, many loving nieces, nephews, and lifelong friends. He is preceded in death by his younger sister, Desi in February of 2018.  May their memory be eternal!

Visitation for Harry will be on Thursday, October 17, from 4:30 PM — 7:00 PM at Krause Funeral Home, 9000 West Capitol Drive, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Trisagion and eulogies at 5:30 PM. The funeral service will be at 11:30 AM on Friday, October 18, at St. Constantine and Helen’s Greek Orthodox Church, 2160 North Wauwatosa Avenue, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53213. Procession to Glen Oaks Cemetery for final resting.

In lieu of flowers, the family is honored to share The Alzheimer’s Association of Southeastern Wisconsin as a worthy donation recipient that helped Harry so very much please see the link below under Service Information in the memorial tab. The family would like to warmly thank the staff at Clement Zablocki VAMC for their caring, kindness and professionalism.