MR. William H Henken II

MR. William H Henken II was a bold man, outgoing, and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

William was born on January 26, 1947 at Menorah Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. His parents were William and Frances Henken. William was raised in Kansas City, Mo. Later adolescent years relocated to Fort Worth Texas. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

Growing up in the Henken household there were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, William was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. William was raised with two siblings, his two older sisters, Raydeane and Judy. William was constantly involved in activities with his sisters. William and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but William was always consistently loyal to his family.

As a young child, William was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. William developed a variety of interests and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. William took part in the marching band, but in his spare time, he liked motorcycles and hot rods. However, what William enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of William as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Eastern Hills High School in 1965. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. William was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. William always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

Always considered to be a solid friend, William was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, William was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for William to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, one of his best friends were Dan Pitts Sr. He remained life-long friends with Dan and his wife Wanda Pitts until his passing.

On November 10, 1967 William exchanged wedding vows with Carolyn Woods at the Handley Meadowbrook Christian Church of Fort Worth, Texas. Compassionate and devoted to Carolyn, William held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Carolyn and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new wife happy.

William brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good father to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. William was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be, and when they needed to be there. William was blessed with three children, Scott, Bryan, and Darren. They were also blessed with four grandchildren and three great grandchildren, Grandchildren Brandon, Robert, Harrison, and Whitney. Great Grandchildren Annie, Jett, and Rush.

William greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations, as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. William enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, William was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. He sold and serviced industrial X-ray equipment. He started working for his father at the family business which he purchased in 1985 becoming the CEO of W. H. Henken Ind. Inc. William worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

William liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his personal time, William always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were playing golf and going on motorcycle rides on his Harley. William was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

William found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity, top on his list were golf and football.

Many organizations were grateful to have William as a member, since he always brought a high degree of common sense. Using straightforward methods to successfully complete the job, William was a great planner who was incredibly well organized. It seemed that he was able to schedule any event or activity with ease. He always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. Throughout his later years, William was an active member of the Handley Masonic Lodge #1140.

William was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was a member of Handley United Methodist Church. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

William enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with William appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, William always had a backup plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included the trip around the world, an Alaskan Cruise and many trips to Las Vegas with friends and co-workers.

When William’s retirement finally arrived in 2005, he was well prepared. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. His new life involved relocating to Burleson Texas to be closer to his granddaughter. Even in retirement, William continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He was active in his new community and felt fulfilled.

MR. William H Henken II passed away on February 11, 2023 at Burleson, Texas. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Carolyn Henken of Burleson, TX., son Scott Henken and his wife Missy of Haslet, TX, son Bryan Henken, son Darren Henken and his wife Shelly of Burleson, TX, God son Justin Harlin and his wife Beth of Fort Worth, TX. Grandchildren: Brandon, Robert, Harrison, and Whitney. Great-Grandchildren: Annie, Jett, and Rush. Services were held at Moore Memorial Gardens. William was laid to rest in Garden of The Good Shepard, Moore Memorial Gardens, Arlington Texas.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of MR. William H Henken II. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.

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William H. (Bill) Henken II 76 Years of age, passed away Saturday February 11, 2023.

The visitation for Bill will be held Tuesday, February 21, 2023 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Moore Funeral Home, 1219 North Davis Drive, Arlington, TX 76012. The funeral service will occur Wednesday, February 22, 2023 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM, 1219 North Davis Drive, Arlington, TX 76012. A committal service will occur Wednesday, February 22, 2023 from 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM at Moore Memorial Gardens, 1219 North Davis Drive, Arlington, TX 76012.

Bill was born January 26, 1947, in Kansas City, MO. Bill graduated from Eastern Hills High School in 1965, then attended East Texas State. Bill married his wife, Carolyn Henken, in 1967. Bill began working for W. H. Henken Industries Inc. in 1968, he subsequently purchased the company from his father in 1985, where he operated as President/CEO of W. H. Henken Ind. Inc. till he retired in 2005. Bill had many passions in life, he enjoyed taking his Harley for a ride, playing a round of golf, shooting guns, boating on Eagle Mountain Lake, and spending time with family. Bill was a lifetime member of the H.O.G. Association (Longhorn Chapter) and he was a Lifetime member of the Handley Masonic Lodge #1140. In his later years, Bill loved being a grandfather and spending time with his grandchildren. The grandchildren and great-grandchildren referred to their grandpa as the “Pretzel Man” as he always had pretzels for them.

Bill was a businessman, with a kind heart. He loved his wife and grandchildren more than anything in life. The grandchildren describe Grandpa as loving, caring, and generous. Bill took every opportunity to brag on his grandchildren, he enjoyed watching them swim in the pool, and he loved to spoil and tease them. Bill was his happiest when he was surrounded by family and friends.

Bill was preceded in death by his mother Frances R. Henken, his father William H. (Bill) Henken Sr., and sister Raydeane Ambrose.

Bill is survived by his wife of 55 years, Carolyn Henken of Burleson TX., son Scott Henken and his wife Missy of Haslet, TX, son Bryan Henken, son Darren Henken and his wife Shelly of Burleson TX, God son Justin Harlin and his wife Beth of Fort Worth TX. Grandchildren: Brandon, Robert, Harrison, and Whitney. Great-Grandchildren: Annie, Jett, and Rush.