Cornelius Q. Hack

Cornelius Q. (Cor) Hack, 92, of North Smithfield passed away at home on March 18, 2024. Born and raised in the Netherlands, Cornelius and his first wife Ann W. Hack moved to the United States in 1960. Ann pre-deceased him in 1986.

Cor was the Principal Processing Engineer starting the production of transistors and diodes for Amperex Electronics Corp. in Slatersville.  He spent his entire working career with the company, then a division of Philips, eventually serving as Operations Manager and General Manager.  He was responsible for overseeing several hundred employees, and became known as “Mr. Amperex” in northern Rhode Island.

Cor was very committed to and engaged in community service.  He served as the volunteer Chair of the Budget Committee in North Smithfield in the mid 1980s, and as a member of the Water Authority. He served on the Board of the Northern RI Chamber of Commerce, serving as its Chair from 1979–1982.

An avid recreational sailor, Cor also enjoyed tennis and golf and became a jogger in his 70s. He earned a Master Gardner certification through the University of Rhode Island, where he had previously earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. Cor remarried in October of 1992 to Yvette Laramee.  Cor and Yvette greatly enjoyed traveling, and shared many enriching educational experiences through the Elderhostel program. They also sang together in the St. Anthony’s Chorale in Woonsocket for many years.

Cor was a wonderful storyteller, sharing many stories of his youth in Holland.  These included tales of German occupation and subsequent liberation in World War II, along with detailed accounts of soccer matches, competitive cycling events, and his service as a reserve officer in the Dutch army.

Cornelius will be greatly missed by Yvette, his wife of over 30 years; a sister Lia Hack-Wiegers (Rien) who resides in the Netherlands; his children Gregory (Barbara) Hack and Melissa (Michael) Brown; and grandchildren Austin, Amalia, and Olivia Hack, and Trevor and Colton Brown. He is also survived by Yvette’s 6 children and grandchildren.

The Hack Family wishes to express its sincere appreciation to Jo-Ann and Tim McGee for all of their assistance with “Opa” in recent years.  It has been very reassuring to know that they were nearby to help Opa and Yvette when needed. Their care, compassion and generosity of spirit meant so much.

A funeral mass will be held at St. John the Evangelist Church, 63 Church Street, Slatersville, on Monday March 25th at 11:00 AM.  Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Disabled American Veterans at www.dav.org/cal.  This reflects Cor’s deep appreciation for the American and Allied troops that liberated his hometown in World War II.

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