Thomas Henker

He was always smiling. The demands of his career, the frustrations of his multiple sclerosis symptoms, the challenges of the adventures he sought, through these trials that would have crushed most of us, he was cheerful and determined.

Thomas Henker was born in the medieval walled city of Villingen-Schwenningen in the Black Forest of Germany, the eldest son of Dietmar and Anneliese Henker. As a teenager, he worked in a garage restoring classic cars, and bought and restored his own Triumph Spitfire. He was also fascinated by financial markets and invested in his first shares in a local credit union while still a student. He studied at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology before embarking on a one-year study abroad to the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. The one year became seven, as he earned first an MBA and then a PhD in Finance from UMass.

Upon graduation, he accepted a research/teaching position at the School of Banking and Finance, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Thomas was a popular teacher, amazing his students with his comprehensive knowledge of current financial markets and inspiring future portfolio managers. He bolstered his industry credentials with a CFA charter. He was also an impressive researcher, presenting papers at conferences world-wide and publishing in academic journals in the United States, Europe and Australia. He finished his career as a full Professor and Associate Dean of Research at Bond University in Queensland. He always loved to learn, and he could make anyone feel special when he quizzed them about their own specialties.

Thomas was also a determined adventurer. He learned to skydive while a student at UMass. He trekked the Himalayas in Nepal to see the sunrise and hiked to the end of the Great Wall of China where it meets the ocean. When he could no longer walk, he swam. He was a scuba diver, exploring wrecks in Vanuatu and Western Australia. He dove with tiger sharks in Fiji, manta rays in New South Wales and humpback whales in Tonga. The specially modified ships of the Jubilee Sailing Trust made it possible for him to crew the Tall Ship Tenacious on a ten-day sail from Hobart to Melbourne. He participated in round-the-clock watches, took his turn at the helm, and was hoisted into the crow’s nest by his fellow sailors. With his wheelchair, he rode cable cars to glaciers in Austria, Table Mountain in South Africa, and Petrin lookout tower in Prague. He went on safari in Africa, lifted into Land Rovers in Zimbabwe and boats on the Chobe River in Botswana. It seemed nothing was too big a hurdle for his boundless courage.

But multiple sclerosis was cruel, taking his balance, his legs, his dexterity, his independence. Over time he needed help showering, dressing, using the toilet, until even holding a drinking glass was precarious. He never complained as each new indignity was foisted upon him, but the effort to keep going exhausted him. The end, when it came, was swift and inexplicable. A sudden seizure, a gasp for breath, and the light faded from those indomitable eyes.

Thomas is survived by Julia, his wife of twenty-nine all-too-short years, and by his mother Anneliese, his brother Joachim, his sister Anita, and numerous relatives and friends in Germany, the US and Australia. He will be remembered for his intelligence, his wit, his courage, and his glorious, joyous, ever-present smile.

Services are private.