Cover photo for August Hakk's Obituary
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1924 August 2019

August Hakk

August 15, 1924 — October 3, 2019

August Hakk (95) of Moorhead, MN died quietly after a struggle with a weak heart and failing kidney on October 3, 2019.  August was born on a farm near Ruusmae, Estonia on August 15, 1924 to Valdimar and Augusta Hakk the oldest of five children.  He completed the 6th grade and began his life of a strong work ethic on the family farm.  At 18 he was conscripted into the German army to fight against the Russians.  During a retreat action in eastern Poland and under heavy gunfire he was seriously wounded, but under God’s miraculous hand was one of only a few soldiers to escape when a sergeant ordered two soldiers to carry him to safety.  The Second World War ended for August in a hospital in Fulda, Germany.  Following recovery August became a member of Labor Services Company under the supervision of the US Army in Germany for 5 years.  He spent many months as a driver of American officers in and around Heidelberg, Germany for which he received special commendation for his “energetic, conscientious, and energetic manner in which he performed his many duties”.  In April 1949 his company was involved in the Berlin Airlift which received special appreciation for “their efforts and devotion to duty and….. establishing the best company average for loading individual airplanes,…..nine minutes per plane.”  He petitioned and finally received permission to come to America on Christmas Eve 1950 with no money to his name and speaking only Estonian.  He settled in Fargo, ND, and although he grew up on a farm he decided to try his hand at the trades.  He started in the construction field building homes, apartments and schools throughout Moorhead and Fargo.  But construction was hard, especially in winter, and additionally, he had no car so he had to walk many miles to job sites.  August decided to attend Hanson Mechanical Trade School in Fargo where he learned to become an auto body repairman.  A serious fall in 1953 produced a partial but permanent disability in his back.  He met his wife, Lucie Kasak, through mutual Estonian friends.  They were married on July 23, 1955 and had three children.  August worked for many years with Muscatell Chevrolet before making a good business decision to help start F-M Auto Mart in 1969. The business shortly afterward became a Datsun dealership.  Business boomed during the years following the Oil Embargo of 1973, however, by 1981 he sold his portion of the business and finished his working days as an auto body repairman for Dahl’s Auto Body in Moorhead.  During retirement August helped his children remodel their homes, kept up two lake places and a river lot in Moorhead, dabbled in wood working, and enjoyed seeing his 9 grandchildren grow up.  He was most proud of his projects at building cemented rock walls on the steep hillsides at Bijou Lake and Big Cormorant Lake, and he always had pictures in his pocket to show off his handy work.

August is survived by his wife of 64 years, Lucie; three children: Heldur (Kathy) Hakk, Indra Willers, and Alar (Becky) Hakk, all of Moorhead.  Grandchildren through Heldur include Peter (Shanda) Hakk of Moorhead; Rachael (Clay) Lexen of Moorhead; Nathan (Amber) Hakk of Audubon, MN; and Rebekah (Ian) Zimmerman of Hazen, ND.  Grandchildren through Indra include Michael (Kelley) Willers of Moorhead; Matthew Willers with the US Army in Germany; Daniel (Lauren) Willers of San Antonio, TX.  Grandchildren through Alar include Brian Hakk of Golden Valley, MN; Allison Hakk of Moorhead (who on October 18th will be united in marriage to Storm Green).  Through these unions August was blessed with 7 great-grandchildren.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of August Hakk, please visit our flower store.

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Wednesday, November 1, 2023

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