HARRY HENKE (UNCLE HARRY)

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HARRY HENKE (UNCLE HARRY) It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our uncle, Harry Henke, on September 27, 2018 at the age of 91. Harry was predeceased by his sisters, Annette Wagner (Philip), Ada Bismayer (John) and Helga (Krueger/Boyens), along with his two brothers, Leonard Henke and Kris Henke. He is survived by his nephews, Dieter Krueger and his wife Darlene and Eric Krueger and his wife Joanne, along with their children, Holly (Tyler), Ben and Monica, and his great-great-nephew Zane. Harry was born in Poland on September 17, 1927 and moved to Winnipeg with his family in January, 1949. Harry enjoyed life and worked hard. When he came to Canada, he started working as a baker to help his family but eventually turned to his calling of carpentry and carved a niche as a home builder in Winnipeg. This included building his nephew Dieter's home. He retired at 65 and enjoy 26 years of retirement. Harry never married but was extremely devoted to his family. After his father passed away, he lived with and took care of his mother for 30 years. He was only a phone call away for his sisters and nephews. No matter what they needed or when, he was there to help them. As he was a carpenter, he especially helped out around everyone's house with repairs that were needed or lending out his truck for hauling things. Sadly, over the years his sisters took ill. They all went into personal care homes, where he spent almost every day visiting them to take care of whatever needs they required, be it emotional or physical. He not only took care of his sisters but also become a fixture in the personal care homes amongst the staff and other residents who enjoyed his smile, joking nature and positive attitude. He was also very proud of his nephews and all their accomplishments. He adored his great-nieces and nephew, Holly, Ben and Monica. He was always interested in what they were up to as they were growing up, from how they were doing in school to the boyfriend/girlfriend situation. He was extremely happy when Holly got engaged to Tyler and then especially proud of becoming a great-great-uncle when Zane was born. He enjoyed all his visits with Zane and the first question on any visit became "How is the baby doing?" Yes, we all got knocked down a peg. Uncle Harry was very social and left a positive impression on everyone he met. He enjoyed the family get-togethers over the years; from birthday celebrations to getting together for more traditional holidays such as Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving or going to the cottage in the summer. He welcomed everyone into the family. His sister, Helga remarried and Hans joined the family along with his daughter Ingeborg and husband Gregg. He also enjoyed the simple things in life like going to the store, to the bank, to Karpaty's (his butcher shop) or out for dinner. He would enjoy talking and joking with the people at these places and putting a smile on their faces. One of his favourite pastimes was bowling, which he did all his life. A Sunday tradition was going bowling with his nephews, as they were growing up, along with their dad followed by Sunday dinner. He enjoyed bowling well into his 80s and was very proud of the bowling accomplishments and trophies he won. He also enjoyed going to church and volunteered for many years until, as he said, taking care of his sisters became his top priority. One of his final highlights was getting together with the whole family and watching Holly and Tyler get married in the past month. He enjoyed the happy celebration and seeing and speaking with family and friends he had not seen for a while. Uncle Harry, over the years you have brought all of us many smiles, much laughter and beautiful memories. Those memories will always be with us, and when we are not having a great day, those memories will help us get through those tougher days. The last of your generation Uncle Harry, you were very much loved and you will be missed. A service to celebrate Uncle Harry's life and memories will be held at 2:00 p.m., Friday, October 5, 2018, at Glen Eden Funeral Home, 4477 Main Street, West St. Paul. A private family interment will be held. Family and friends may sign a Book of Condolence at www.glenedenmemorial.ca Glen Eden Funeral Home & Cemetery 204-338-7111

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Oct 02, 2018