If a community newspaper is the conscience of a small town, then Marcie Harbeck was the heart and soul of Kewaskum, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Born in Milwaukee, Marcie moved to Kewaskum as a child when her parents purchased a tavern there. In 1938, she married Bill Harbeck, whose father owned The Kewaskum Statesman. Marcie and Bill ran the newspaper for more than 30 years. Marcie ran the newspaper’s office and learned to operate the linotype machine. The Harbecks passed the newspaper on to their daughter, who, in turn, passed it on to her son.
Bill died in 1988, shortly after the couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Marcie continued to work at the newspaper with her daughter, answering phones, proofreading and serving her signature ham sandwiches without bread crusts to the staff, until 2002. Her grandson, Andrew, who also published the newspaper, said “She was selfless and always found the good in people, always had something nice to say about someone. In the newspaper business, that’s really difficult.”
Marcie died January 5, 2015, at 95. She had two daughters, eight grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
