Theodore E. "Ted" Haberkorn, Jr., 98,  of Winter Park, Florida, died in his sleep Wednesday October 26, 2022 of natural causes at his home, with family members at his side. He published the St. Joe (Indiana) News for 36 years, and played the piano in the Bob Snowball Orchestra for three decades in northeast Indiana.

Ted was born July 14, 1924 to Theodore, Sr., and Martha (Rathert) Haberkorn in Fort Wayne. He graduated from South Side high school in 1942, then attended Indiana Technical College for two years, studying aeronautical engineering, and worked part-time at Tom Berry Music Company. He worked full time at Medical Protective Company, where his father was an executive, in the Magnavox machine shop and design drafting departments, and at Bernard's Music Store before going into the newspaper business. He married Esther Hauke September 22, 1945, and the couple had four sons.

The St. Joe News was a family affair with Mom handling business and accounting tasks while the boys helped out as soon as they could read, write, and fold papers. Ted especially enjoyed covering Riverdale area school news and sports, and took particular pride in printing the official Eastside basketball game score cards in the first two years of the school's existence. The special newspaper edition commemorating the 1967 Sectional Champions was a labor of love, with copies handed out free to the students at a pre-regional pep rally. Bob Gerber, Mike Loy, and other members of that team spent hours practicing their moves on the Haberkorn backyard basketball court, as did dozens of kids from all over town. When girls' varsity sports began to grow in the 1970s, Ted was courtside with his camera and notebook covering the Lady Blazers while other news outlets gave girls sports only brief mentions and box scores. The St. Joe News photo archive includes home movie footage of the girls' first sectional championship.

Ted led the efforts to preserve and protect the interests of the Riverdale community during the controversial state-mandated closing of Riverdale and Butler school districts and their merger into a new county school in 1963. The DeKalb Eastern district was the first such district in the county. Ted was just as proud that his two oldest sons were "original" Eastside Blazers, playing on baseball teams that lost only one game in their first two seasons, and on Eastside's first basketball team which reached Top 5 status in the press polls.

Ted was a council member, Sunday School superintendent/teacher, and organist at St. Mark Lutheran Church. During his three terms on the town board, he was active with Red Cross, Mental Health Association, Boy Scouts, St. Joe Boosters and Recreation Clubs. He took special pride in the Boosters' fund-raising project to install lights at the St. Joe school ball diamond.

Ted's music career began with gigs at the Fort Wayne downtown hotel lounges, then various venues from Cutter's Chalet to Orchard Ridge Golf Club, area fraternal clubs, and his favorite, Club Olympia, with Bob Snowball and the Snowflakes.

Ted is survived by his wife, Delores "Dee," whom he married in 2008, and three sons, David of Fort Wayne, Philip of Auburn, and Mark of Eustis FL. Also surviving are grandchildren Kerry, Erik and Tera, five great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandson. Ted was preceded in death by his brother Robert in 1923, his first wife, Esther in 1982, son Michael in 1993, wife Claudia Bentley in 2000, wife Dixie in 2003, and his sister and brother-in-law Marjorie & Philip Appleman in 2020.

A Memorial Service will be held at St. Mark Lutheran Church (302 Washington Street in St. Joe, Indiana) on Tuesday (November 29, 2022) at 1:00pm with Pastor Rick Stiver officiating.  There will be a time for visiting with family and friends from noon until time of service at 1:00pm.  Burial will be at Riverside Cemetery in St. Joe, Indiana.

Memorial donations may be given to Shriners Hospitals for Children, Processing Center, P.O. Box 947765, Atlanta, GA  30394.  Or on line at: www.lovetotherescue.org

Carnahan-Baidinger & Walter Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.