Rev. Harold L. Hasenauer

Rev. Harold Luther Hasenauer, 91, known as Pastor Hap to most, passed peacefully on Friday, April 23, 2021 at Mt. Carmel Hospital in Columbus.



He was born May 30, 1929 in Pottsville, Pa to the late Harry and Tamar (Jones) Hasenauer and graduated first in his class from Pottsville High School in 1947. He was proud to have studied fine arts in 1947 and 1948 on an arts scholarship at the former Carnegie Institute of Technology. He sensed his God given call the spring of 1948 and went onto receive his bachelor of arts in English from the Lutheran Church, Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa. in 1952. His theological education was at the Lutheran School of Theology in Philadelphia, which is the city where he met Carol J. Kettler who became the love of his life. They were married on June 26, 1954 and shared 61 plus years of fond memories and life experiences until her passing in 2015.



Pastor Hap loved people and shared God’s good word to others for 60 years as an ordained minister. He also had a strong love for music and when not behind the pulpit, he was singing hymns in various choirs. He ministered to folks in Chester Springs, Pa., Trinity Lutheran Church in NJ, St. John’s Lutheran in Uniontown, Ohio, Messiah Lutheran in Urbana, St. Paul’s in North Robinson, Sulphur Springs and Upper Sandusky and then God sent him to a church and community he very much loved; Good Hope Lutheran Church in Bucyrus, where he served as their Visitation Pastor for 15 years. Following retirement and the passing of his wife, Hap moved to Canal Winchester and enjoyed friendships formed at David Lutheran Church. He also made many people smile and laugh through his interactions with fellow residents and staff at The Inn at Winchester Trail, where he most recently resided. In addition to his church memberships, Pastor Hap was also a member of the Col. Crawford Lions Club, served as Chaplain for Bucyrus Community Hospital and more recently, during his first year at The Inn at Winchester Trail, he proudly served as vice president of residential affairs and communications.



He and Carol enjoyed traveling the world including locations in Europe, Ireland, France, and Italy among others. Though traveling overseas many times, some of his favorite memories were simple times spent with family at Higgins Lake in Michigan and Apple Valley. They shared a love of watercolor painting and both created many beautiful masterpieces. He often wrote poetry of his life experiences and enjoyed time spent working in his floral beds around their home. Hap had a big heart for animals, especially his daughter Marianne’s German Shepherd dogs, Lexi Marie, Gunner Lee and Gibson Les Paul. He will be remembered for his love of sending birthday cards to family and friends and he was often spotted at Bob Evans where he enjoyed a bowl of chicken noodle soup or a tasty dessert treat. He liked to relax by reading a good book and was always up for a game of Yahtzee.



He will be dearly missed by his children, Paul (Jennifer) Hasenauer of Mansfield and Marianne (Tim) Howard of Groveport; two grandchildren, Lillian and Ethan Hasenauer; a niece and nephew who he was close with, Kim Hasenauer and David Hasenauer as well as extended family and friends. He was preceded in death by his brother, Carl (Darielan) Hasenauer.



His family will receive friends from 11 – 12:45 pm Saturday, May 1 at Good Hope Lutheran Church, 129 W. Charles St., Bucyrus, where his funeral will begin at 1:00 pm with Pastor Tanyce Addison and Pastor Al Swartz officiating. Burial will follow in Oakwood Cemetery. For those unable to attend his funeral, it can be seen on Facebook Live by visiting the Good Hope Lutheran Church Facebook page and also viewed later by visiting youtube.com and searching, Good Hope Lutheran video.



Donations can be made payable to Good Hope Lutheran Church or to David Lutheran Church. These gifts will be accepted at the church on day of services or through Wise Funeral Service. Expressions of sympathy are encouraged to be shared on his tribute wall.