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Husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend.
Wayne Hackman, 74, of South Range, passed away peacefully on September 20, 2026, after a lengthy illness. Wayne was born in Fort Knox, KY on April 24, 1952, to Marvin Otto and Eleanor Flora (Somero) Hackman while serving stateside during the Korean War.
Wayne spent his childhood in Painsdale, graduating from Jeffers High School in 1970. Soon after he started working at Northern Hardwoods outside of South Range until 2004, when his health forced him to retire.
Wayne was extremely patriotic, a value he instilled in his family. He was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War in June 1972, spending one year at Camp Hill Tac Site No. 34 in South Korea, not far from the North Korean border. Wayne’s active duty ended in March 1974 and he was Honorably Discharged from the U.S. Army in June 1978.
On October 20, 1979, Wayne entered into marriage with Cheryl Lynn Butala at the Grace Lutheran Church in South Range. Wayne and Cheryl were married for almost 39 years before the good Lord called her home on August 18, 2018. Wayne and Cheryl raised two children and had one grandchild, Emily (Ryan) Avendt of Houghton and Justin Hackman and Justin’s son Tanner Hackman of South Range.
Wayne also held a special place in his heart for Samantha, Tanner’s mom and Tucker, Tanner’s brother.
A few years after his discharge from the Army, Wayne enlisted in the National Guard of Michigan and served proudly for 20 years. Wayne was honorably discharged from the National Guard in June 2005 at the rank of Sergeant. Wayne was also a proud member of the South Range Volunteer Fire Department for 20 years, serving as Fire Chief for 5 years.
Preceding him in death were his parents, his brother Keith, nephew Elliot, brother-in-law Paul (Spudo) Burkman, along with many aunts, uncles and cousins.
Wayne is survived by his siblings Karen (Paul) Kangas, Gail and Kevin, his sister-in-law Margaret (Cusin) Burkman along with many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, including his closest cousins Lynn, Deb, Patty and Pam.
Wayne was a generous, helpful, industrious, knowledgeable person who loved building just about anything, from 900-piece Lego sets, large puzzles to homes and home remodels. He also enjoyed general history and football.
Wayne’s family would like to give a special thank you to friends, family members, the Houghton – Keweenaw County Veteran Service Officer Joseph F. Battisfore, and Canal View Houghton County staff for all they have contributed to Wayne the past several years.
Respecting Wayne’s wishes, visitation will be at the Memorial Chapel Funeral & Cremation Service – Mt. View Chapel of South Range on Friday, September 25, from 12 noon until 2:00 pm. A graveside service for Wayne will be held at 2:00 pm on Friday, September 25, 2026, in the Mt. View Cemetery of South Range with Pastor Ernest Bylkas III to officiate. Military honors will also be conducted by the Copper Country Veterans Association at the cemetery.
To view Wayne’s obituary or to send condolences to the family, please visit www.memorialchapel.net.
The Memorial Chapel Funeral & Cremation Service – Mt. View Chapel of South Range is handling the arrangements.
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