Harold Blanchard Mackenzie, a long-time resident of Wheaton, passed away at home on July 2, 2011 at the age of 97. He was born October 14, 1913 in Forsyth, Montana where his father was superintendent of schools. At the age of 5, his family moved to Genoa, Illinois and later to Watertown, SD where he attended junior high and high school. During his early years he and his family made many visits to Wheaton where all of his grandparents lived.

Harold attended Wheaton College where his great grandfather, Jonathan Blanchard, and his grandfather, Charles Blanchard, had been the first two presidents, graduating in 1936. He attended his 75th college reunion in May of this year. He went on to law school at Northwestern University in Chicago, graduating in 1940, and was admitted to the Illinois Bar.

That same year he enlisted in the Army as a private in the Chicago Black Horse Troop of the Illinois National Guard, which became the 106th U.S. Horse Cavalry Regiment, stationed in the Chicago Avenue Armory. In the early days of WWII he patrolled along the Arizona/Mexico border on horseback with the 14th Cavalry Regiment. His cavalry unit was converted to the 9th Armored Division, which sailed to Europe in 1944 aboard the Queen Mary. He served as Assistant G-2 in the Division intelligence branch. The Division participated in the Battle of the Bulge, the battle at Bastogne, and captured the Ludendorf Bridge at Remagen, Germany on March 7, 1945. One of Harold's favorite stories was telling how the capture of the bridge considerably shortened the war, which ended 60 days later. He visited the Buchenwald concentration camp outside of Weimar, Germany only a day after its liberation. Recalling the horrors that had been perpetrated there, he said, "Those few hours I spent in Buchenwald made the five years taken out of my life by the war all worthwhile. I would do it again." On his return home he joined the Illinois National Guard and was discharged in 1963 as a Lieutenant Colonel.

After the war, he practiced general law in Chicago for several years and then opened his own firm in Wheaton. He practiced over 50 years in Wheaton and the surrounding area, specializing in corporation, tax, real estate, and probate law. He maintained a life-long personal relationship with many of his clients. He was instrumental in organizing Christian Medical Society, Christian Booksellers' Association, Evangelical Child and Family Agency and Missionary Furlough Homes Foundation. In addition he helped many other local area corporations over the years, including Wheaton Eye Clinic in its early days. He was a member of the DuPage, Chicago and Illinois Bar Associations.

Harold's Christian faith and trust in God were an important part of his life. After the war, he taught a men's Bible Class at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago while taking additional studies at Northwestern. He was an active member of the Glen Ellyn Evangelical Covenant Church for over 50 years, often serving on the Missions and Evangelism Committees in which he had a special interest. He was also an active member of Gideons, Intl.

He was a loving husband, father and grandfather and is survived by his wife of 30 years, Rhoda; his sons, Paul (Elizabeth) of Glen Ellyn, and Robert (Barbara) of Bedford, TX, six grandchildren, Rachel, Sarah, Katie, David, Ben and Mollie, and a brother, Roger, of Hampton, GA. He was preceded in death by his wife, Marjorie Strub, in 1971, by his son, Charles in 1988, and by 5 brothers and sisters.

A visitation will be held on Sunday, July 10, from 2 to 8 p.m. at Hultgren Funeral Home, 304 N. Main St., Wheaton. A funeral service will be held on Monday, July 11 at 10:30 a.m. at Glen Ellyn Evangelical Covenant Church, 277 Hawthorne St., Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 (630) 469-5405. A graveside service will follow at Wheaton Cemetery.

Memorials may be directed to Gideons International, P.O. Box 934, Wheaton, Illinois 60189 or The Jonathan Blanchard Family Scholarship, Wheaton College, 501 College Ave. Wheaton, IL 60187.