Allen ‘Skip’ Eernisse

Legions of Grafton High School students have Allen “Skip” Eernisse to thank for their school nickname, the Blackhawks.

That’s because Mr. Eernisse came up with the school nickname when he was a student there in 1948, his son Mike said.

“They were looking for a name, a mascot name, and they held a contest,” Mr. Eernisse’s son said. “He picked the Indian chief Blackhawk. He felt he was a great warrior, and that would make a great name for the school.”

The school’s name and mascot has been Blackhawk ever since, although the name was changed slightly in recent years to lose the American Indian aspect and instead reflect the Black Hawks.

Mr. Eernisse, a lifelong Grafton resident, died Wednesday, March 7, at Lawlis Family Hospice in Mequon. He was 87.

Mr. Eernisse was born in Grafton on June 30, 1930, to Erwin and Alice Mintzlaff Eernisse.

As a child, Mr. Eernisse had curly blond hair that prompted a relative to compare him to the child in a cartoon named Skippy, and the nickname stuck, his son said.

Mr. Eernisse graduated from Grafton High School in 1948.

He was an athlete who played baseball and basketball in high school, then went on to pitch for the Land O’ Lakes league for years.

He even earned a try out for the Chicago Cubs.

“Even though he didn’t make it, he said he felt like a big leaguer just for trying out,” his son said. “His love was baseball.”

When his grandson played ball in high school, Mr. Eernisse could be found sitting behind home plate, his son said, adding that if the ump made a bad call, he heard about it.

“He was a heckler,” he said.

Mr. Eernisse spent about eight years in the U.S. Army Reserves, and worked as a maintenance supervisor for Wisconsin Electric Power Co. — now We Energies — for 31 years before retiring. He started at the Oak Creek plant, then went to work in Milwaukee and later served at the Port Washington power plant.

Mr. Eernisse married Marcella Thelen on Oct. 13, 1951.

Mr. Eernisse believed in giving back to his community, and he did so by serving on the Grafton Fire Department — a family tradition. He achieved the rank of assistant chief during his 67 years, and also worked on the rescue squad for a number of years.

“When he couldn’t go on the fire trucks anymore, he’d grab the mic and be in the dispatch room,” his son said.

Later still, he and some of the other longtime firefighters would continue to go to the firehouse during the Thursday practices and make dinner for the department, his son said.

“They had chili in the winter and brats and hot dogs in the summer,” he said.

Mr. Eernisse, a longtime member of St. Paul Lutheran Church and Edgewater Golf Club, enjoyed hunting and bowling.

He was also artistic, practicing calligraphy, painting, drawing in pencil and wood-burning. He would buy wooden plaques and plain birdhouses and paint or burn them.

He collected images of birds, including more than 75 cardinals, many of which he painted, more than 100 birdhouses, which he wood-burned, old keys and yardsticks with advertising on them.

“There was no rhyme or reason if he decided to collect something,” his son said.

His father enjoyed collecting baseball-style caps, accruing more than 800. The family put them out at the funeral with a sign “Skippy said take a hat or take a hike,” his son said, laughing.

Mr. Eernisse and his wife would dress up for any occasion, his son said, noting the year they appeared as Mickey and Minnie Mouse at the Grafton Breakfast with Santa and then walked in the Christmas parade.

“He was an amazing man,” his son said. “He was respected by everyone. He was a storyteller who had a joke for every occasion. “He had an amazing life.”

Mr. Eernisse is survived by his children Mary Kay Crowell of Olalla, Wash., and Mike (Brenda) of Grafton; grandchildren Katie Crowell and Nick, David (Tanya) and Christopher (Katie) Eernisse; and two great-granddaughters.

He is further survived by his sister Arliss (Lester) Steffen of Cedarburg and his special friend Elaine Beck of Grafton.

In addition to his wife, who died in 2008, Mr. Eernisse was preceded in death by his son-in-law Frank Crowell.

A funeral service for Mr. Eernisse was held Sunday, March 11, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grafton, with the Rev. Scott Kruse officiating.

Burial was in St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery, Grafton.

Memorials to the church are suggested.

Funeral arrangements were handled by Eernisse Funeral Home, Cedarburg.