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William Louis Hasse (Bill), 93, of Calumet City, IL, passed away Saturday, December 30, 2023. Bill is survived by his lovely wife of 67 years, Margaret (Nagy) Hasse, six children, twenty-six grandchildren, and twenty-three great grandchildren. Bill, born in South Chicago on Sunday, March 2, 1930, was the son of William Louis Hasse, Sr. and Clara Emerson Hasse of Chicago Heights, IL. The first-born child in a family of ten children, Bill had seven younger brothers: Tom, Jim, Bob, Ray, Chuck, Don and Larry and two younger sisters, Joan Offutt and Nancy (Mike) Sutherland. His brother, Larry (Roberta) and both his sisters survive him. A 1948 graduate of Bloom Township High School, Bill joined the US Navy and spent four years seeing the world. He served as First Machinist’s Mate on various troop transport ships during the Korean War. At least one thing that he learned in the Navy stayed with him and he put it to practical mischievous use. As a father with six kids to wake on Sunday mornings, he loved to rouse his kids from their sleep with a hearty, “Reveille! Reveille! Up all hands! Heave out and trice up!” He even knew the second verse: “Sweepers, sweepers, man your brooms. Clean sweep down fore and aft. All trash over the fan tail. Reveille! Now reveille call!” Following his service in the Navy, Bill returned to Chicago Heights in 1952 and began a 40-year career in the construction trade where he specialized first as a truck driver and later as a Union Laborer Foreman while he served as job site superintendent on heavy road construction and bridge building projects. One career highlight was his work on the Deep Tunnel project in Chicago which created massive tunnels beneath the city to convey storm water from Chicago to giant reservoirs in the suburbs. While still in his twenties, handsome and athletic, Bill worked the weekends as a roller-skating rink guard in Chicago Heights. One weekend in 1955, a stunning brunette named Margie came from Hammond, IN, with her girlfriends to the roller-skating rink on the corner of Torrence Ave and Glenwood-Dyer Road in Chicago Heights. Like all the girls, she noticed Bill. Unlike all the other girls, she hatched a plan, managed to catch his eye and fell for him. Literally. She fell onto the rink floor. As rink guard, he skated to her rescue. Eyes locked. Time slowed. And quick-thinking Bill asked her for her telephone number. He said it was to check up on her to ensure she was alright after her fall. Margie only agreed to date Bill if he agreed to attend church. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Hammond, IN, and so he began to attend there as well. Bill heard the Gospel preached and was moved by the Spirit to respond in belief during an altar call following a sermon. Bill and Marge were married on Saturday May 12, 1956 at First Baptist Church, Hammond, IN, with Rev. Owen Miller, FBC pastor, officiating their wedding. The marriage of Bill and Marge produced six children. Sharon (David) Holloway, William (Pamela) K. Hasse, Wayne (Diane) Hasse, Judith (David) Gibbs, Ronald (Valerie) Hasse and Brian (Jamie) Hasse. By 1960 Bill and Marge settled into a pretty yellow house on Arthur Street in Calumet City, IL where they lived together for 63 years. William Hasse was a delightful man. His bright blue eyes twinkled spontaneously. His handshake was always firm but friendly. He was loyal to his family, his friends, his church, his country and his Lord. William Hasse spoke most eloquently by his actions. He taught all his children the value of hard work and the importance of speaking the truth. He exemplified service in the ways he cared for children and grandchildren, patiently and humbly helping, earning the love and loyalty of those kids in the process. He taught his sons how to treat a lady by daily example with the ways they saw him treat their mother and their sisters. As a member of First Baptist Church, Hammond, IN, he served faithfully as a deacon for 57 years and taught a high school boys Sunday School class every week for 60 years. When he learned his diagnosis of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) in 2009, Bill accepted this with dignity and strength though he worked closely with his doctors to pursue a course of treatment. It was very important to him to gather his entire family together and explain to them that he was ill but that he would aggressively fight his cancer. He never complained as the disease slowly progressed. His mantra became “Accept, Adjust, Adapt” and he learned to live with the effects of CLL. He died like he lived: peacefully, at home, with his wife by his side and children nearby. William Louis Hasse, Jr. – son, brother, husband, father, uncle, grandfather, great-grandfather, friend, role model, hero and sinner saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ – fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith. And is now wholly healed in Glory in the presence of his Savior. There will be a visitation on Thursday, January 4, 2024 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Memory Lane Funeral Home 6305 W Lincoln Hwy Crown Point, IN 46307. Funeral service will be on Friday, January 5, 2024 at 10 a.m. at First Baptist Church Jack Hyles Memorial Auditorium 523 Sibley St. Hammond, IN 46320. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers you may donate to Hammond Baptist High School or First Baptist Church of Hammond, IN

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William Hasse

March 2, 1930 - December 30, 2023