Born on November 20, 1948 in Shawano, Wisconsin to Henry Henke and Fern (Alft) Henke, Lon spent his childhood in the idyllic outdoors of Wisconsin; playing, fishing, hunting, boating, and water skiing with his siblings, cousins and friends that he grew up with. He enjoyed reminiscing about the many shenanigans he got into with his high school buddies and his ‘UT Club’. These are friendships he cherished and continued over the years.
Lon graduated in 1967, from Shawano High School where he competed on the wrestling and basketball teams. After highschool, Lon attended UW OshKosh for a short time before heading to Florida for sun and fun, after which he enlisted in the Navy where he was stationed in the Philippines, Japan, and Guam. There he volunteered for combat service in Vietnam. He served in VQ1, flying recon missions over North Vietnam from ‘71 to discharge in 1972.
Lon met Sherry Wall in December of 1974. They married on June 26th, 1976. Two children, a daughter and a son, arrived a few years after they married. Lon and Sherry remained married for almost 45 years until his passing. They enjoyed road trips, camping, and just being together.
An avid sports fan, Lon loyally followed the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks and the Wisconsin Badgers. He collected baseball cards and antiques while he instilled his love of sports and collecting in his children. He loved attending Brewers and Packers games when he was able.
Retiring from Commonwealth Edison Byron Nuclear Plant in 2002, as an operator, Lon worked for another five years with Lowe’s Home Improvement from which he retired again in 2007.
Lon was a devoted father to his daughter, Erin, and his son, Ryan. He enjoyed taking his children camping, fishing or boating and water skiing many weekends in the summers. He also enjoyed teaching them about sports. You would often see him playing catch or shooting hoops with them. He coached his children’s teams and if he wasn’t coaching on the field, he was coaching and teaching from the sidelines. He attended as many of their activities as he could. Lon was very proud of their accomplishments in sports and all areas. As he became a grandfather, you could still see him on the sidelines at his grandchildren’s school and sporting events.
Lon always had a great sense of humor and enjoyed laughing, teasing and having fun. He could tell a great ‘dad’ joke and would make himself laugh, as well as all those around him. His sweet soul attracted many people to him.
Lon is survived by his loving wife of 44 years; his mother; his children, Erin (Jason) Leib and Ryan (Christine) Henke; his brothers Dan (Deb) Henke, Pat Henke, sister Julia (Randy) Graham; grandchildren Allison and Sarah Henke, Hayden and Clare Leib, Kyle, Kristian, and Kaitlyn Nicholson; his father-in-law, Arthur Wall and his brother and sister-in-law Greg and Diane Wall; his aunt Jeanne, numerous cousins, nephews, family members and friends. He is preceded in death by his father, Henry Henke, and mother-in-law, Alma Wall, as well as, beloved aunts and uncles and his sidekick, Lucky the dog.
Open visitation is scheduled for Monday, March 8 from 5 to 7p.m. at Sunset Funeral Home, 8800 N. Alpine Rd, Machesney Park, IL 61115 with the private funeral on Tuesday at 12:00 that will be livestreamed on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SunsetfuneralhomeIL.com. Burial in Sunset Memorial Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (themmrf.org) or the American Stroke Association (stroke.org) in his name.
