Arthur (Art) Henke

Mr. Henke was a road foreman for the railroad.

He is survived by two sons, Ralph of Fruita and Donald of Goshen, Virginia; one daughter, Shannon Sompayrac of Fruita; one sister, Julia Hagee of Denver; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Arthur (Art) Henke, 97, of Grand Junction passed away October 30, 2015, at St. Mary’s Hospital after a brief stay. Art was born June 19, 1918, in Bristow, Oklahoma. His family moved to the Carbondale/Aspen area in 1921. His parents and their six children weathered the Great Depression of the 1930s. On August 24, 1940, Art married Margery Smallwood of Glenwood Springs. They had three children: Shannon Oneta and Norman Ralph, presently of Fruita, Colorado; and Donald Arthur of Goshen, Virginia.

Art entered the U.S. Army during WWII, serving as a locomotive engineer on the Luzon National Railway in the Philippines until the official end of the war. In 1946, Art hired out on the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, retiring from the D&RGW as a Road Foreman of Equipment in 1979. He and Margery spent many retirement years traveling throughout the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean, finally settling in Grand Junction in the 1980’s. Margery predeceased Art in 2011.

Art was an avid outdoors man, expert elk hunter and trout fisherman, always teaching his children about the ways of the wilderness. He had a wry sense of humor, was a great kidder of old and new friends alike, and had an exceptional singing voice. Laughter, good company, and an abiding concern for the welfare of his extended family was a very big part of his life.

Brothers, Carl, Louis, Marion, and Arvey predeceased him. His sister, Julia Mary Hagee, resides in Lakewood, CO. In addition to his children, he leaves seven grandchildren: Brian William, John David, Charlene Janel, Kristi Lynn, Adrianne Aileen, Carmen Marie, and Elinor Elizabeth. He also leaves three great-grandchildren: Dylan Joseph, Ashley Marie, and Sofia Elizabeth.

He will be sorely missed by the many people in his broad circle of family and acquaintances.