Obituary of Thomas Louis Henke

Thomas Louis Henke, age 61, passed away Thursday, May 24, 2018 at home with his family by his side, in Vesper, WI after a hard fought, 12-year battle with ALS.

Visitation will be held at Liberty Bible Church in Wisconsin Rapids on Tuesday, May 29 at 9:00am, followed by a Memorial Service at 11:00am. Bob Dow, a brother in faith, will officiate. Interment will follow the Memorial Service at the Arpin Cemetery in Arpin, WI. A luncheon will be served at the Liberty Bible Church following the internment.  Herman-Taylor Funeral Home is honored to be serving the family.  Online condolences may be expressed at www.taylorfuneralhome.net.

Tom was born on July 28, 1956 in Marshfield, WI, a son of Ray and Janet (Lang) Henke of Wisconsin Rapids, WI. His parents lovingly teased him that he was named after one of their favorite horses.

Blessed with two daughters Traci (Lee) Graf of Wisconsin Rapids, WI and Heather (Andrew) Wells of Vesper, WI. Tom is survived by brothers, Michael Henke of Madison, WI and Robert (Sue) Henke of Wisconsin Rapids, WI and sister Agnes (James) Dolan of Glen Ellyn, IL. He is further survived by grandchildren Jesslyn, Sully, Adrian, and Camden and nephews Kevin Zalizniak and Andy Zalizniak. His grandchildren lovingly called him “Bapa”.

Tom grew up with the fundamental principles of the Bible. Later, he encountered events that dramatically transformed his life and his primary love became his Faith and belief in the Lord our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

He was a member of the Liberty Bible Church in Wisconsin Rapids, WI. Tom was also a member of the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY, where donor plaques and two planks at the Ark Encounter, in Grant County, KY, bear his name. He sponsored, Lucy, a young girl from Africa and also sponsored the African Ministry through Liberty Bible Church.

Tom graduated from Lincoln High School in 1974. He craved knowledge; leading him to earn his Associate Degree in Electronics Technology at Northcentral Technical College in 1981; Bachelors of Science in Business Administration at Cardinal Stritch College in 1997; and Masters in Project Management at UW-Madison in 2007.

Tom had a passion for future advancements in technology and worked as an IT Technician most of his career. He considered himself extremely fortunate to be assigned by Verso Corporation to live and work in Sweden to contribute to the company.

He loved planning vacations with family, especially his parents’ anniversary trips to Bed & Breakfasts in Wisconsin, as well as motorcycle trips to New York City and membership in the Vertical Foot Club in Jackson Hole, WY with his brother Mike, a trip to Hawaii with his brother Bob, and a trip to Sweden with his Mother and sister Ag. Tom enjoyed collecting Swedish Crystals and taking his daughters to see the “Midnight Sun” in Kiruna, Sweden, which they laugh about to this day. There were also many trips to see the 2,000 foot tower construction in Eau Claire, WI, with stops at Weavers Country Store on the way home.

"Bapa" made the most of his disability, allowing his grandkids to ride, and even drive, his wheelchair on cattail picking adventures. He adored his grandchildren and will now be forever watching them grow from Heaven.

Tom also loved taking his family biking on trails with Kim and Deb Roberts and their children Megan (Chris) Cremeens and Kent (Janna) Roberts. He also enjoyed attending many, many gun shows, reloading of ammunition and fishing with Kim.

Sushi, Buffalo Wild Wings and homemade anchovy pizza were his favorite meals. The rest of the family did not care for the anchovy pizza!

Tom was a total perfectionist, which he made you somehow learn to love that about him.

He was the most caring, loving and giving Son, Father, Grandfather and friend a person could ask for. He always thought about others first. You may have thought you were helping him, but in reality, he was the one helping you.

A special thank you to all of his caregivers from Ministry Health Care and Marshfield Clinic, including all the doctors and nurses who took care of him over the years.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Creation Museum, 2800 Bullittsburg Church Road, Petersburg, KY 41080 or to the African Ministries c/o Liberty Bible Church, 4020 Washington St, Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494.