Harry A. Honker, veteran and prominent Lebanon county lawyer, passed away at his residence 36 West Main Main Street, Myerstown, at two-thirty o'clock Wednesday afternoon.
Stricken with an illness diagnosed as Rocky Mountain spotted fever about nine weeks ago, the well known attorney had been steadily declining in health since that time, and his death has not been unexpected by members of the family for the past several weeks. He spent one month in a hospital for treatment for what has been termed a rare malady, but was removed to his Myerstown home about five weeks ago. It is believed that an insect bite was responsible for the infection that developed the rare fever ailment that resuted in his death.
In his 71st year. Attorney Honker practiced law in Lebanon county for more than 38 years, and rose to a position of prominence in his profession. He was admitted to the Lebanon County Bar Association on February 20, 1904, and maintained more than 38 years of consecutive practice until illness compelled his retirement only little more than two months ago. He served the county association as its faithful and diligent secretary for more than twenty-five years and was one of its oldest members.
During that long period of activity as a lawyer, the veteran Lebanon county practitioner, maintained an active interest in legal and banking affairs in the county and also in the community and civic life of the borough of Myerstown. In fact, he served the borough as solicitor since its incorporation in 1912, thus serving in that capacity for a period of thirty years.
Actively interested in the community's business life, he also held the office of solicitor and served as a director of the Myerstown National Bank for more than a quarter of a century.
Born in Tulpehocken Township, Berks County, in 1871, the son the late Thomas and [?] (Batdorf) [(?)] (Honker) the deceased received his early schooling in the Berks county public schools and attended the Mt. Aetna Grammar School. Continuing his education, he graduated from the Lock Haven Normal School in the class of 1897, and took up school teaching as a profession immediately thereafter. He first taught in the Westmont public school in North Lebanon township, and oldtime pedagogues recall that particular school as a "model school" under Schoolmaster Honker's supervision. He then taught in the Lebanon city schools for a period of several years while reading law in the local offices then maintained by C. V. Henry, who recently retired after serving the Lebanon county bench as Judge for thirty-one years.
Following that period of law-reading and school teaching, Attorney Honker began his law practice in this city in offices he maintained for many years in the Shirk building at Ninth and Willow Streets. In recent years he moved his law offices to 22 North Eighth Street, and held forth at that location until his illness forced his retirement from active practice only this year.
Never inclined to be prominently active in politics, he nevertheless maintained firm convictions in political issues and was an avowed life-long Republican and somewhat influential in that respect.
He took up his residence in this county in 1902 when he married the late Laura Kreider, of Fairland, his first wife, and has maintained his residence in Myerstown ever since that time. He has held membership in Friedens Lutheran Church in Myerstown since becoming a resident there forty years ago.
Of a rather reticent and somewhat retiring nature, he nevertheless built up an extensive law practice by long and arduous application to his business. He was widely known as an indefatigable worker and on occasions spent lengthy periods of study and preparation in prominent cases with which he was indentified as a lawyer.
He was also known to have firm convictions on any matter of subject in which he became interested and seldom wavered from those convictions once they were formed.
Among the prominent legal cases in which he played the leading role as a lawyer were the widely-publicized Hank will case that was involved in local courts for a period of years and attracted widespread attention. Still another drawn-out case was the celebrated Myerstown municipal lighting plant matter that entailed considerable litigation and included Public Service Commission hearings and legal entanglements of a decidedly involved nature. Both cases required long periods of intense study, exhaustive preparation and considerable research work.
Possibly one of the highlights of an otherwise long career of faithful adherence to his profession occurred on May 31, 1931, when the well known attorney figured in a sensational attempt to rob the Myerstown Trust Company in a daring daylight holdup on June 23, 1931.
It was Attorney Honker who leaped to the front bumper of the machine the robbers used to make their escape after being frightened from the bank. He made his way to the hood of the machine in an attempt to halt their flight but when the robbers blazed away at him with pistols, hurriedly moved to the roof of the machine amid wild pistol shots. Realizing he was unarmed and no match for armed bandits, the attorney then leaped from the machine as it sped away on Myerstown's main street and made a getaway. It is incidental that the robbers were apprehended the next day and ultimately sentenced to prison for the foiled escapade.
That incident was probably the most violent happening in the life of the quiet Lebanon County attorney and prominent Myerstown resident who passed on yesterday. His life was principally that of a family man and legal practitioner and he seldom varied from that routine. He had no known fraternal affiliations and only held membership in the various bar associations usually joined by members of his profession.
Attorney Honker served as the government appeal agent for local draft board No. 2 until recently, and no successor to the post has been officially named as yet.
By a first marriage he is survived by two sons, John T. Honker and William C. Honker, both of Myerstown, and three grandchildren. His first wife died in 1938 and he then married the former Lightfoot Powell, of Williamsburg, Virginia, who also survives him.
In addition to those named, he is also survived by three sisters, Mrs.Emma Spahn, of Philadelphia, Mrs. Annie Kapp, of Lebanon, and Mrs. Lilly Deck, of Myerstown, and two brothers, Walter Honker, of Douglasville, Pa., and George Honker, of Myerstown.
Veteran and younger members of the Lebanon County Bar Association who were associated with the longtime member of their profession in this county today expressed their sympathies to the family of their fellow practitioner who was one the oldest members of the local bar association.
Lebanon Daily News - Thursday, July 30, 1942