Jerry H. Haase

Jerry Harold Haase, 70, died Thursday, June 3, 2010 in Owensboro, KY after a long and frustrating journey with Alzheimer's disease.

Jerry was born in Indianapolis, IN, the son of Harold and Florence Haase. He attended Arsenal Technical High School, before enlisting in the U.S. Army where he served three years, much of that time in France as a transportation specialist.

Returning from the military, Jerry had stints as a top hardware salesman, a bread route sales driver and a heavy equipment salesman. While he had overachieved in every employment initiative, April of 1971 is when Jerry discovered his true career related passion. It was then that Jerry accepted a sales representative position for the Canteen Service Company franchise located in Indianapolis. Jerry had tremendous success promoting the vending and dining services of Canteen to prospective business and industrial clients throughout central and southern Indiana. His marketing success quickly earned him recognition as a frequent qualifier for Canteen's elite and prestigious President's Club. He was an eventual recipient of this honor a total of ten times during his Canteen career.

His years of tremendous success as a Canteen sales representative created a yearning for Haase to make an entrepreneurial leap of his own. In 1976 he inquired to Canteen's corporate offices in Chicago, Illinois as to franchise ownership availabilities. He was told of ownership opportunities in Youngstown, Ohio or Owensboro, Kentucky. Never even making a visit to Youngstown, Haase set his sights, dreams and career ambitions on what became his new Kentucky homeOwensboro. Friday, August 13, 1976 was the date Jerry became president and owner of a very small vending enterprise with just over a dozen employees and a like number of account locations in Daviess and Hancock counties in Kentucky along with Perry County, Indiana.

Over the next three decades under Haase's aggressive leadership, the small Owensboro-based vending operation grew to employ up to 480 individuals serving customers spread over 40 counties in parts of four states (Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Tennessee). In addition to the Owensboro headquarters operation located at 712 Industrial Drive, other Canteen facilities owned by Haase are located in Bowling Green and Elizabethtown, Kentucky along with Evansville and Vincennes, Indiana. The Haase Canteen operations are among the most revered and highly recognized among nearly 120 franchises nationwide.

While always proud of his Hoosier roots, Jerry was a strong believer of the need to reinvest in his adopted hometown of Owensboro, various communities included in his Canteen franchise region and the state of Kentucky as a whole. Haase was very benevolent in his support of countless agencies, charities, community endeavors and civic organizations. A listing of Haase's awards, recognitions, offices held and accomplishments includes, but is not limited to, the following: Kiwanis Club of OwensboroPresident, Leadership Owensboro, Leadership Kentucky, Kentucky Automatic Merchandising Council (President's Award Recipient), National Automatic Merchandising Association Convention Chairman, Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce (1985 Board Chairman and 1987 Small Business Person of the Year), Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corporation (two time speculative building chairman), Junior Achievement of Owensboro, Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club, Inc., Entrepreneur of the Year (1990 finalist) and Owensboro National Bank Board of Directors.

Jerry loved to golf, travel and spend time with his many friends who remained close to him throughout his illness, helping him to continue to live a full and involved life, despite his illness. His wife remains deeply indebted to each one of these caring individuals who continued to enthusiastically include him in their activities during this difficult time.

Jerry is survived by his beloved Canteen family of employees; his wife of 20 years, Jane Miller Haase of Owensboro; his daughter, Jamie Lee Kniffen and granddaughter, Sydney, of Indianapolis, IN; his son, Jerry Dean Haase, wife Kim, and granddaughters, Taylor and Samantha, of Owensboro; and his step-daughter, Kelsey Kirkpatrick Starks, husband, Chris, and granddaughter, Jane Riess of Louisville, KY.

He is also survived by a brother, Bobby Haase of San Marcos, CA, a sister, Judy Floyd and husband, Ron, of Columbus, IN, as well as several nieces and nephews.

Jerry was preceded in death by his mother, father and two sisters, Gloria and Evelyn.

Services, officiated by Rev. Todd Love and Dr. Glenn Sowards, are 10:00 a.m. Monday at Settle Memorial United Methodist Church. Visitation will be from 1:00 until 6:00 p.m. Sunday at Glenn Funeral Home and Crematory and after 9:00 a.m. Monday at the church.

The family asks that memorial donations be directed to the Cliff Hagan Boys and Girls Club, 3415 Buckland Square, Owensboro, KY 42301; the Owensboro Public Schools Foundation for Excellence, 1335 West 11th Street, Owensboro, KY 42301 or Settle Memorial United Methodist Church, 201 East Fourth Street, Owensboro, KY 42303.