Jan Henry Hauser

Jan Henry Hauser, 68, of Missoula, passed away in the early hours of Wednesday, April 22, 2015, at his home of natural causes.

He was born on Aug. 4, 1946, to Conrad and Mary Jean Hauser. As a child, Jan grew up on the family's dairy farm in Tony, Wisconsin. While in high school, he participated in football, wrestling and baseball. He went on to compete at the state level for wrestling. After graduating from Flambeau High School, Jan joined and served four years with the Army. He was stationed with the 1st Calvary Unit and served one year in Korea and two years in Vietnam.

On Oct. 26, 1968, Jan married Mary Schroeder in Tony. The couple and their five children, who arrived in quick succession, lived there until moving to Missoula in 1977, where Jan worked for a local plumbing company. In 1984, the plumbing company closed and Jan opened Hauser Plumbing & Heating. To this day, the family business is going strong and is being run by one of his sons. In the late 1990s, Jan and Mary purchased the Acropolis Gyro Shop on South Avenue, which they continue to own and operate.

The family moved to Montana not only for the job, but also for Jan to pursue his greatest passion: hunting and fishing. He would spend hours in the garage with friends creating contraptions that would better their fishing or hunting experience. His brothers and friends would come from many states away to spend time at "hunting" camp. Even when his health was failing, he still managed to get out there – if only to ride in the truck. He truly loved the outdoors and spent the majority of his free time there.

Survivors include his wife, Mary of Missoula; two sons and their families, Sean (Erin, Alyson, Andrew) of Missoula and Jason (Tonya, Sarah, Matthew) of Missoula; two daughters and their families, Carolyn (Don, Ethan, Eric) Smart of Spokane and Susan (Shawn, Elizabeth, Jack) Basolo of Missoula; seven brothers and their families; and countless cousins, nieces and nephews. Jan was very proud of his grandchildren and they brought him much joy.

Preceding in death include his son, Jamie Richard Hauser; his parents, Conrad and Mary Jean Hauser; his sister, Josephine Hauser; his brothers-in-law, Richard Schroeder and Stephen Schroeder; and his in-laws, Edwin and Beverly Schroeder.

A memorial service will be held at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 28, at Garden City Funeral Home with a reception immediately following. Honorary pallbearers are Jim Ault, Dave McClay, Mark Johnson, Mark McClaverty, Mike Hauser, Tony Hauser, Gene Hauser and George Reed.
Read Jan Hauser's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.