Walter Henke

On May 18, 2006 Walter Henke celebrated 97 years of life on this earth. On May 19, 2006 Walter celebrated his first day of eternal life in heaven. Walter passed from this earth surrounded by his family at Elm Crest Manor in New Salem where Walter had lived and was loved by a loving and caring staff for the past five years Services will be held Wednesday at 10:00 AM CDT at Peace Church in New Salem with the Rev. Joshua Eddy officiating. Burial will be at Peace Church Cemetery. Visitation will be Tuesday from 1-3 PM at Elm Crest Manor, New Salem, and will continue from 4-7 PM at Peace Church and also one hour prior to the service on Wednesday. Walter was born in Hannover, ND on May 18, 1909 to parents Eli Henke and Mary Plenge Henke. In his youth Walter worked on the family farm and also worked as a farmhand for Big Freddy Albers. On March 25, 1934 Walter married Esther Holle. They made their home in Youngtown, ND where Walter farmed, raised a herd of purebred Hereford white faced cattle which he was extremely proud of, and he hauled milk for Purity Dairy, Foremost Dairy and Cass Clay. Walter and Esther had two children, Roswell and Leon. On October 2, 1956 Walter married Della Holle Wilkens. Della's two children, LaDonna and Delores also became a part of Walter's family. Later Walter and Della had one son, Alan. Walter was very loyal to the dairy company he worked for, and would often ask in the restaurants if they served the milk of the company he was working for. On a flight to Hawaii he was also heard asking the flight attendants if they had Foremost milk. When Salem Sue was constructed in New Salem Walter was selected to christen her with a bottle of milk. Walter purchased the milk truck from John Holle in 1945. He purchased his first bulk milk tank in 1961. Walter retired in 1974 and sold his milk truck to Kenny Schultz. Walter always believed that the milk had to get through, and many stories have been told of how he would blaze his way through snow packed roads and stormy weather to make sure the milk got picked up and delivered to Mandan. It was well known that other milk truck drivers would wait until Walter had gone through and had opened up the roads. Walter was a hard worker. He would pick up and deliver the milk in the morning and return home later each day to do his farming. At threshing time he would try to make sure that his bundle rack was stacked the highest, and he always had to be at the threshing machine on time. Walter was very proud of a team of Percherons that he had raised. They would start and stop on command, and they worked as hard as Walter. If it's possible to pass a work ethic on to animals, Walter did it with his team of Bird and Bell. Walter worked hard and he played hard too. Walter enjoyed playing cards and was known to enjoy his favorite beverage. Walter enjoyed taking his grandchildren fishing. He would always remove the barbs on the hooks used by the little ones so they could easily catch the little fish and release them without hurting the fish or themselves. In his earlier years, Walter enjoyed many great hunting trips hunting geese and deer with his friends. During this time Walter established a lifelong relationship with his very special friend, George Sturn. Stories told about Walter and George are unending, and in addition to becoming very close friends, Walter and George also became great dance partners. Whenever there was a dance, you could count on Walter and George dancing one together. If anyone were to write a book on work ethics, and how to make friends, Walter would be a great model for the book. He worked hard and made friends wherever he went. It is very difficult to find a person who didn?t love Walter, and it's also very difficult to find a person that Walter didn't like. Walter is survived by his sons, Roswell Mary Henke of Bismarck, Leon Twila Henke of Bismarck, and Alan Renell Henke of New Salem; his daughters, Delores Andy Brunen of Youngtown and LaDonna Keith Olson of New Salem; his brothers, Nelvin Charlotte of Hannover and Clarence Henke of New Salem; his sisters, Esther Kaelberer of New Salem and Marion Reinke of Nevada; his first wife, Esther of Elm Crest Manor, New Salem; his grandchildren, Lisa Don Ponzer, Heather T.D. Schenck, Angie Jesse Hohbein, Shawn Olson, David Leann McCowan, Mark Candace McCowan, Ashley Henke, Becky Moses Goodwin, Scott Amy Henke, Steve Henke, Karson and Morgan Henke, and Jason and Justin Genter; his great grandchildren Talus and Cassie McCowan, Hunter Ezzell, Taryn Henke, Quinton Goodwin, Luke and Maiah McCowan, Colby and MacKenzie Schenck, Tate Hohbein, and Gunnar Ponzer; his daughter-in-law, Brenda Henke of Bismarck; many nieces and nephews; and very special friends, the George Sturn family. Walter was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Della; his brothers, Arthur, Harold, Elmer, and Henry; his sisters, Adela Speckman, Caroline Bueligen, and Rosella Oestrich; his brothers-in-law, Fritz Bueligen, Harry Speckman, Ted Oestrich, and Dave Kuether; his sisters-in-law, Jeanne Henke and Cora Henke; and his son-in-law, Clark Schwarting. Walter will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Walter Henke

May 18, 1909 - May 19, 2006