Henry W. "Hank" Hager July 16, 1941 - November 2, 2005
Henry W. "Hank" Hager, 64, of Axemann and Bellefonte, passed away unexpectedly on November 2, 2005 at his home. Hank, owner of Sign of the Axe Antiques, was a fixture in the antiques community in central Pennsylvania for decades. During that time, he was not only an active antiques dealer but was also one of the foremost authorities on antique advertising and primitives. In addition, as the owner of the original Mann house in Axemann, he was an avid researcher of local history (especially of the Axemann area). With Hank's passing, a huge storehouse of knowledge has been lost.
Born July 16, 1941, in Philadelphia, he was the only child of the late Benjamin C. Hager and the late Josephine M. Hager. He grew up in Secane, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. At the age of 15, he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. He received a Bachelors Degree in Forestry from Penn State in 1963 and was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho (AGR) fraternity. In addition, he joined the U.S. Marines and served for four years before being honorably discharged. True to the motto of the U.S. Marines, "Semper Fidelis," Hank was always a true and faithful friend.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he worked as a financial planner as well as an antiques dealer and enthusiast. In the early 1990s, he decided to pursue the antiques business on a full-time basis and he was a well known participant in antiques shows throughout Pennsylvania. Further, he was an independent agent for newspaper advertising space in antiques trade papers and also worked on the U.S. Census for both 1990 and 2000. In addition to his passion for antiques, Hank enjoyed gardening. At the time of his death, Hank was not married and had no children.
Friends are invited to gather at a memorial service to celebrate Hank's life on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Heintzelman Funeral Home, 226 S. Pennsylvania Avenue. Centre Hall, Pennsylvania 16828. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 pm on Monday, January 2, 2006 at Saint John's United Church of Christ Cemetery, Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania. Memorial contributions may be made to the Centre County Library and Historical Museum, 200/203 N. Allegheny Street, Bellefonte, PA 16823.