Lee Henning

Of Center Ossippee NH, passed away on May 28th, 2020, in Rochester NY, at age 81. 

Lee was born June 19th, 1938 in Zumbrota, Minnesota to Leslie (Don) and Bertha (Steege) Henning. He was a beloved brother to Bruce and his wife, Cheryl, of Zumbrota, MN, Diane and her late husband, Duane Copley, of Zumbrota, MN, and Robert and his wife, Gail, of Hutchinson, MN. 

After graduating high school, Lee entered the military where he served stateside. If his tales of service life are true, during his entire enlistment he only bowled 10 pin in the bowling league. His own folklore tells a story of even being good enough to go professional. Fortunately for us, he came to his senses and put himself through college and instead went to work at IBM. It is there that he met the love of his life, and future wife, Shirley Hove , originally from Keister, MN. They married in 1961 and celebrated 54 years of wedded bliss until Shirley's passing in 2015. 

Lee's adventures took him all over the world, but somehow in between flights he managed to help Shirley raise two children, Lori and Terry. His years of continued professional success required a lot of moving around, which began in Rochester MN , followed by Warwick, NY, back to Rochester, MN, then to Ridgefield, CT  and Framingham, MA, lastly ending in Manila, Philippines for six years and Hong Kong for eight years. Upon his retirement at the young age of 74, Lee and Shirley relocated to AZ. During these travel years, Lee and Shirley maintained a permanent residence in Center Ossipee, NH on Lake Ossipee from 1983 through 2015. It was always a gathering place for Lee‘s family of four and often times filled with laughter of many other friends and family.

It was in the Far East, while working for Aztec, where Lee truly hit his stride and flourished. The very special friends he made would became family and the challenges at work he conquered fulfilled him to no end. He was passionately described by his peers, Co-workers and loyal staff as “a man with the heart of a dragon; devoted, tireless and indestructible”.

Lee was a loving husband, father, brother, uncle, papa and friend. He was a diehard New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox and Boston Celtics fan. He loved his family, working, traveling, exercising, reading, R-rated jokes, sarcasm, laughing and making sure everyone around him was well taken care of. It didn’t matter if they were family or friends. He took care of his people. He loved his grandchildren, Dylan and Tyler, who made him laugh and smile every time he was with them, or while video chatting on the phone in his later years.

He was often heard saying things like “the glass is half full" or “we don’t want to buy the phone company now do we?” when he was ready to hang up from a conversation. His food was “mmmm tasty!” and was regularly heard saying “Shirley?! Bring me the potato chips"!

Lee is preceded in death by his parents, Leslie Donovan and Bertha Henning; wife, Shirley Henning.  He is survived by his three siblings; daughter, Lori (Henning) and her husband, Jim Kuhn, of Rochester, NY; son, Terry Henning; two grandchildren, Dylan and Tyler of Manchester, NH.

Due to COVID-19, we will have to wait to celebrate his life, which will take place in Zumbrota, Minnesota, either in late fall or early spring.

God bless you Dad! Thank you for our amazing life of great memories and plentiful love. We love and miss you so much. 

Donations in Lee's memory may be made to the Alzheimer's Association (act.alz.org/donate).

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