As the youngest child in the Harkin brood, Shannon Gawlik had quite the shoes to fill.
When she entered middle school in Hammond in the 1960s, one of her teachers told her the two paddles he had for punishment were named “Jeff” and “Kevin,” for the Harkin brothers. They were named as such because it never failed that one of them did something at recess deserving of punishment.
“The teacher said he didn’t even need to ask what they did; he just knew it was something, Gawlik said Monday. “So whenever I did something, the teacher would ask me if I wanted to be punished by ‘Kevin’ or ‘Jeff.'”
Longtime Hammond City Court Judge Jeffrey Harkin died Friday after a long illness. He was 64.
Funeral arrangements are set for Harkin, the Hammond Court judge since 2001.
Gawlik, of Highland, said the job of judge was “made for” her older brother and said he was always fair and supportive, especially of younger people who came before his bench. A traveling nurse, she’d had the opportunity to watch him in action.
“If people were respectful and truly remorseful, he wouldn’t bring the hammer down as hard,” Gawlik said. “As long as people tried to clean up their act, he was always supportive.”
He was also devoted to his family, with much of his house featuring pictures of his parents, Joseph and Cecelia; and his late wife, former Hammond Councilwoman Kathy Pucalik.
Hammond Court bailiff Anthony Vicari worked Joseph Harkin flipping houses when he met the judge. He remembered Harkin as a “happy-go-lucky sort” who always had a smile for all his co-workers.
When the smiles became fewer and further, he suspected something was wrong.
“He’d been talking about going up to the Mayo Clinic, and about a month ago, my son and I really climbed on him to get up there,” Vicari said. “He went, was gone for about a week. When he came back, he said he felt a little better and we all thought he was on the road to recovery.
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“Then about a week ago, I heard him on the phone saying he was being taken to the hospital. I got there Friday, but he was already in a coma.”
Attorney Peter Katic recalled his friend on social media, calling him a “good man” and reiterating his fairness in court.
“I have always had fond memories of the Hammond City Court, having the privilege of serving as judge from 1984 to 1991, so it is with a heavy heart that I bid farewell to Judge Jeff. He will be seriously missed by us all,” Katic wrote. “Rest in peace, dear friend.”
Visitation will be from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Solan-Pruzin Funeral Home, 14 Kennedy Ave., Schererville; with a service at 4 p.m. Final services for Harkin will be private later in the week, Gawlik said.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.