Share
Services will be held Monday in West Allis, Wis., for a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen killed in a St. Paul rail yard.
BLET member Jeffrey A. Harsh, a member of BLET Division 882 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, died on March 26 at age 43.
Employed by the Canadian Pacific Railway, Harsh normally worked as an engineer out of Milwaukee, but had been cut back and was receiving familiarization training in a new area, his union said.
Harsh was trying to cross over some tracks in front of moving trains at the Canadian Pacific rail yard, St. Paul police Sgt. Mike Ernster told the Minneapolis StarTribune. One of the trains was moving slowly when it hit him and knocked him down. The Canadian Pacific said the accident is under investigation.
Harsh joined the Brotherhood effective March 1, 1998, and is a former president of BLET Division 882 in Milwaukee.
He is survived by parents Sandra and Peter Harsh; sisters Laura and Liana; close friends Kevin A. Williams and Jake Weber; and countless other friends, relatives, and co-workers in his close-knit railroad family.
Visitation will be held Sunday, April 3, from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Schaff Funeral Home, 5920 West Lincoln Ave., West Allis, Wis. Funeral services will begin Monday, April 4, at the Schaff Funeral Home at 9 a.m. with interment to follow at St. Adalbert’s Cemetery.
“On behalf of all men and women of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, I extend deepest condolences to the family and friends of Brother Jeffrey Harsh,” BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce said. “It is a tragedy to lose anyone in the line of duty, but it’s especially tragic to lose someone so young, and our prayers are with the Harsh family.”
This article is adapted from information on the BLET website.