Joe "Randy" Hennig

It is with great sadness, yet joy for the life he lived, that we announce the passing of our loved one, Joe Randall (Randy) Hennig, 67, of Kaufman, TX. Randy died on Tuesday, January 5, 2021, after several weeks of battling Covid-19.

Randy was preceded in death by his grandparents, Anton and Bettie Mae Hennig of Rowlett, and Oscar and Laura Eckenfels of Dallas. Randy is survived by, his wife Elaine of Kaufman, his parents, Bill and Betty Hennig of Canton, daughter Kathy Jo Hennig and Noe Mancha of Quinlan, son Nathan and Kelley Hennig of Euless, one grandson, sisters Sandy Hennig and Terry Archer of Canton, Dianna Hennig and Ken Talasek of Edgewood, and Becky Hennig and Rodney Kilgore of Springtown, TX. He also leaves behind numerous nieces, nephews and other loved ones.

Randy, whose mom affectionately referred to him as her “Little Eskimo”, was a vibrant and active little boy. He was loving and protective of his sisters, who many times referred to him as “Bones” due to his physical thinness. On more than one occasion Bones stood up to neighborhood bullies larger than him when they picked on one of his sisters.

Randy had many jobs through the years, but his longest employer was the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Dallas as a security guard. No one could call him Bones at this point, as he had obviously figured out how to eat. When asked what he wanted at holiday time, he requested Oatmeal Rocks cookies, egg custard pie, and macaroni and cheese. This diet allowed him to become the formidable figure he was that kept troublemakers in line while performing his security work during the evening hours in Dallas. Randy retired from the Fairmont after 19 years of dedicated service. Even after his retirement, Randy was asked to continue with his tradition of dressing up as Santa Claus for the hotel guests and office party. He truly enjoyed being the hero of the day for the young guests, and once the event was over, his next favorite part was getting out of Santa's winter attire, which was certainly much warmer than needed for most of the Texas Christmas celebrations.

Randy enjoyed travelling. He was born in the territory of Alaska, and started travelling young when the family moved back to Texas in 1954 He loved exploring the woods around the neighborhood where he grew up. As a young man, he ran track and field for his Mesquite High School team. He was a proud Skeeter, and received his diploma as a 1971 graduate of Mesquite High School while serving in the US Navy.

Randy enlisted in the Navy in January 1971. He was a Signalman on the USS Vancouver at Subic Bay in the Philippines. He served during the Vietnam War, both before and after the peace treaty was signed. During their final nine month cruise, the USS Vancouver was made the Flagship for the minesweeping detail tasked with removing the mines from the harbors, rivers, and coastal waterways that had been placed during the war. Randy was discharged from the Navy on March 15, 1974. Due to the maneuvers he was involved in, Randy was later identified as a disabled veteran.

Once back at home in Texas, Randy continued his love for travel. He went on many hunting trips with his family to Colorado, although he could never get a buck larger than his mom did, who remains the prize winning hunter of the family, he enjoyed this family time immensely.

Randy enjoyed many things in life – hunting, fishing, travelling, dancing, and reading encyclopedias. Randy spent many hours reading encyclopedias as a young man. He could have been a contestant on the popular TV show, “Jeopardy”, as long as there were no questions about opera or the like.

One of Randy's favorite places to travel to, both as a young man and throughout his life, was Red River, NM. This was the favorite family vacation spot, and many memories were made in this lovely mountain village. This little village offered exploring, activities, and dancing.

Dancing provided the opportunity for Randy to meet the love of his life, the most important person to him, his wife Elaine Thomas. They met in December 1991. Dancing through life together, they went on to teach others to dance. Randy did enjoy sharing the things he knew. Randy shared his love of Red River, NM, with Elaine, and it was no surprise when they chose the top of the ski lift in Red River as the location for their wedding August 6, 2008. They shared their life with one another for 29 years.

Randy was fun and loyal, a sincere man, genuine and without pretenses, making many life-long friends. He loved his family, and he loved his Dallas Cowboys almost as much. Also, he loved to eat, his favorite non-holiday foods being steak and taters, with Blue Bell ice cream as a desert – Buttered Pecan, please.

Thinking back over Randy's life, it may seem odd that he enjoyed travelling so much. His family fondly remembers the tale of The Lost Foot. Randy's parents spent many Saturday nights playing card games with friends in the 60's. Pallets were put down for the youngsters to sleep on until it was time to go home. On one occasion, Randy was seen looking around, not getting ready as needed. When asked what he was doing, re responded in all sincerity, “I can't find my foot.” His sisters love that story. He may not have been able to find his foot, but he always found his way home.

With love always, the hope of the family is that Randy has found his way to his heavenly home, and will be waiting for us to join him in time. He will never be forgotten.