WINDSOR — The only boards and committees for the town of Windsor that Rudy Hanecak did not serve on were ones that had not yet been created, or so it would seem.
Hanecak put his heart and soul into his hometown and always seemed ready to volunteer for another committee or organization, often without being asked. Wherever and whenever there was a need for some volunteer help, Hanecak usually signed up, whether for one individual, a specific group or the entire town.
“Anything that would benefit Windsor or benefit some group, he had a part in it,” said his sister, Stephanie Black, who lives in Clearwater, Fla., and is older than her brother by about 18 months. “Whether it was manpower, volunteering or working on a board to get something done, he was involved in it.”
Hanecak was just 44 when he died of a heart attack at home on April 9, 2020. He was born in 1975 and graduated from Windsor High School in 1993 and Stonehill College in 1997 with a degree in business administration and accounting. He returned home after college and began his civic involvement.
Selectboard, Budget Committee, Downtown Designation Committee, Downtown Promotional Committee, Windsor on Air, Chamber of Commerce, Cornish Colony Museum and the Windsor Veterans Memorial Committee barely scratch the surface of Hanecak’s service to Windsor.
Bernie Shaban, a longtime friend in Windsor, served with him on the Veterans Memorial Committee, which raised money for a bronze sculpture of a soldier in Constitution Park and stone monuments with the names of Windsor residents who served during times of war.
Though he was not a veteran, Hanecak earned the respect of the other members for his ideas and suggestions, Shaban said.
“We appreciated Rudy for all he did on our committee,” Shaban said. “Every time Rudy spoke, the rest of us on the committee would listen to him. He had a lot of good ideas.”
Shaban never thought Hanecak received proper recognition for his service to the town and he wants to correct that oversight so his friend will be remembered for generations to come. Shortly after Hanecak died, Shaban got the idea for a granite bench in Constitution Park to honor Hanecak. Thus far, nearly $5,000 has been raised but more is still needed.
“One of the things it will say is ‘Rudy Hanecak, Citizen of the Year — Forever,’ ” Shaban said. “He served on so many different committees; no matter what it was, he was on it. Rudy Hanecak was a very devoted citizen of Windsor. He devoted his life, his ideas and his love to the people of Windsor. I never heard him say a bad word about Windsor or the people of Windsor.”
To raise money for the bench, another longtime friend of Hanecak’s, David Theetge of Windsor, organized a softball tournament in June that drew eight teams and about 150 people, raising more than $2,600.
“Rudy was one of those people every town wishes they had,” said Theetge, who credits Hanecak for helping him land his first job as a teen and was appreciative of his friend’s advice and mentoring over the years. “He did so much and he genuinely cared about every single person in Windsor.”
Childhood friend Patrick George moved to Windsor with his family in the fourth grade and recalled that Hanecak was the first to greet him. They remained friends through high school and beyond.
“Rudy played football and though he was not the best athlete, he had a huge heart and put everything into it,” George said from his home in Florida. “And that was his attitude toward life. Rudy had the biggest heart in the world. As I got older, I realized how special a person Rudy was.”
Hanecak loved life in a small town, Black said, and loved seeing what he could do to make it better.
“My brother idolized the idea of a small town where everybody cared for each other. His mentality was, your hometown is part of your family and everybody should try to make it the best it could be. That was where he was coming from,” she said. “Everyone was like family where if somebody needed something, you pulled together to make sure they were OK.”
He believed strongly in local cable access and played a key role in establishing Windsor on Air. For years he regularly ran the camera at Selectboard, School Board and other meetings or events in town.
He saw the benefit to many parents of young children for daycare and helped establish a preschool and daycare in town.
“He saw the need and wanted a safe place for children in town,” his sister said.
At the time of his death, Hanecak was working in Windsor for One-Pull Solution, a bundled wire manufacturer based in Randolph.
Company owner Graham Brodock said Hanecak was his first hire a few years ago and he brought a tremendous amount in product knowledge and market understanding to the business.
“Rudy knew all the market dynamics and sales contact,” Brodock said. “He knew about the product and various applications and knew quite a bit about its capabilities. Rudy was a smart guy. He started us going so we owe a lot to him.”
Opie LaFlamme, of Windsor, worked with Hanecak for several months last year at One-Pull but knew him before that from regular conversations at a couple of Main Street convenience stores where Hanecak previously worked.
“He was so good-hearted and likeable,” LaFlamme said. “He did so much for the town. The world needs more Rudy Hanecaks.”
On the Selectboard in the mid-2000s, when controversy could spring up quickly, Hanecak was not shy about sharing his opinions on the topic at hand. While he was always passionate, he was rarely political and never polarizing.
“I always respected Rudy for his viewpoints,” said Vin Fusca, who was on the Selectboard when Hanecak served from 2004 to 2008. “It was always good to have his take and he always had the best interests of Windsor in mind.
“We appreciated having Rudy as a facilitator and mediator sometimes for the rest of the board.”
“People felt they were being heard with Rudy,” his sister added. “Whether he agreed with them or not, he listened and he was willing to change his mind. He was good at compromise to get done what needed to get done.”
As visible as Hanecak was around town serving in numerous capacities, he helped in other, quieter ways. His aunt, Lois Bromley-Ellison, said after her nephew’s death she was going through his belongings and came across several thank you cards from people Hanecak had sent money to when they were going through rough patches in their lives.
“I had no idea,” Bromley-Ellison said. “Rudy never talked about the kind things he did.”
Bromley-Ellison also recalled the days when she and Rudy would drive to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center to see his father, who was hospitalized for several months about a year ago. At the time, the senior Hanecak was unable to communicate so Rudy would hold his hand and talk to him for a couple of hours about different topics, his aunt said.
During one of the visits, Bromley-Ellison said she heard a nurse remark about Hanecak’s devotion to his father, who is recuperating in Massachusetts now.
“I heard one of the nurses say, ‘that is one of the kindest, most loving sons we have ever seen.’ Rudy was such a wonderful soul.”
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
