Harold Ervin “Pete” Steinke Jr., who in the 1950s worked in the advertising department of the Fond du Lac Commonwealth Reporter, died Thursday, May 7, in Davenport, Iowa. He was 85.
Steinke was born May 4, 1935, in Fond du Lac to Harold Sr. and Isabelle (Behnke) Steinke. Stationed in Germany, he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.
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After his time in the military, Steinke worked as display advertising manager for the Fond du Lac Commonwealth Reporter. In the 1960s, following his time at The Reporter, he started what became a more than 50-year career with McDonald’s. He served as general manager of a Fond du Lac franchise location before moving to the Quad Cities area, where he was a franchise owner/operator of several McDonald’s locations.
In 2001, Steinke married Jane Fransen in Long Grove, Iowa. He was previously married to Nancy Lou Richter and Judith Mary McDonald, both from Fond du Lac. Steinke had three children, Tom, Laura and Joe. He also had five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
