Mervyn Henkes

MERVYN HENKES 1930 – 2020
CELEBRATION OF LIFE
Selected Excerpts
Mervyn Henkes was a third-generation Oregonian, born in Woodburn, Oregon, in 1930 to Joseph Henkes and Louise (Koch) Henkes-at home of his paternal grandmother, Mary (Engmann) Henkes. Great Depression baby. His paternal grandfather, Matthew Henkes, a German immigrant homesteader-was one of earliest settlers in Mt. Angel, Oregon, in 1883- months after Mt. Angel Abbey was founded on October 30, 1882. For a year, he owned the first butcher shop in Mt. Angel.
His parents, Louise (Koch) Henkes and Joseph Henkes met in Woodburn, Oregon-when Louise Koch went to visit her uncle, Mike Koch who retired there, after farming in South Dakota. Her father, Jacob Koch, a German immigrant (1881), homesteaded in South Dakota.
His father Joseph Henkes, owned Main Street Battery Shop – Automotive Electricians, on Second & Main in Portland (circa) 1927-until Montgomery Ward sold batteries cheaper than he could make them. He later retired as a residential finish carpenter. Mervyn Henkes' parents married in 1929 and lived in SE Portland.
Prince Mervyn Henkes represented St. Ignatius in SE Portland, 1940 Rose Festival Junior Court, at age 10. His Princess was Janet McDougall. The practice of male and female Junior Rose Festival Court is said to have ended not long thereafter. His Rose Festival white suit and straw hat were donated to Oregon Historical Society, several years ago.
[See photo of Prince Mervyn Henkes and Princess Janet McDougall.]
Early 1943, time of his baby sister's birth, the family moved to Milwaukie, Oregon-where he graduated from St. John the Baptist Catholic grade school and Milwaukie High School. He then started college as an engineering major-after Vanport Flood destroyed Vanport College on May 30, 1948.
After he started his own family in 1950s, he studied electrical engineering by correspondence. He later took evening business and management college courses, sponsored by his high tech employer. His college books (chemistry, physics, etc.) included a Germanium Diodes book-before silicon replaced germanium in electronics. He then spent his time on completion of real estate certification (night), and other interests.
In 1950, Mervyn Henkes and Clare (Gorsek) Henkes married at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, in Milwaukie, Oregon-where both their families lived-and together, they raised their six biological children. He was a loving father who enjoyed being a hands-on Dad, family teacher, and problem solver-and later a grandfather and great-grandfather.
Mervyn Henkes was a high energy, incredibly productive, confident, exceptional individual (polymath) and visionary-and was also an exceptionally good person-who enjoyed helping his family and others. He set his mind to a wide variety of builds, projects, learnings, and interests-that he shared with his family. Building homes and building experimental aircraft, etc. And interests in technical innnovation, flying, property, motor vehicles, camping / outdoors, hunting / fishing, crabbing / razor clamming, boating, skiing, entrepreneurship, news, etc. He enjoyed impromptu singing around the house. His "White Christmas" sounded better than Bing Crosby.
Merv Henkes had a lifelong passion for flying and building experimental airplanes. In 1942, he saw a Bell P39 Airacobra model plane kit, for $1. He wrote to his South Dakota grandmother, Margaret (Ries) Koch-who sent him the $1. At age 11, he built the Bell P39 Airacobra model plane. See photo of Mervyn Henkes flying Bell P-39 Airacobra he just built, in his SE Portland yard. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_P-39_Airacobra
He was a private pilot for over 50 years-and used his early retirement time in 1970s to start to build his first experimental aircraft (RV3), in family garage. He flew it to Oshkosh, Wisconsin Experimental Aircraft Association annual homebuilt aircraft show.
New technology and innovation-especially related to architecture, design, homes, automobiles and airplanes-were a constant interest. Even when he purchased a high-performance plane for long-distance travel, he constantly updated and improved it. He added tip tanks to wings for safety-gave extra 4 hours flying time. In 1990s, he obtained his instrument rating (IFR)-versus (VFR) visual flight rules. He enjoyed cross-country flights and also piloted internationally to Mexico and Canada.
As long-time member of local flying group, went on several group fly-ins. One memorable month-long trip, was to rent planes, to individually pilot and navigate the perimeter of continent of Australia.
He enjoyed flying and looking down at beauty of the land below. But he said he had no desire to go into space. He enjoyed life.
PHOTO CAPTIONS:
Photo 1 caption: [Merv Henkes reading newspaper in "River House" he built in 1987.]
Photo by Laura Henkes
Photo 2 caption: [Prince Mervyn Henkes + Princess Janet McDougall – 1940 Rose Festival Junior Court]
Photo by Louise (Koch) Henkes
Photo 3 caption: [Merv Henkes flying Bell P39 Airacobra model airplane he built in April 1942.]
Photo by Louise (Koch) Henkes
GENEALOGY:
PATERNAL GENEALOGY (HENKES + ENGMANN + KLIER)
MATERNAL GENEALOGY (KOCH + RIES + EVEN)
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