Edward Eugene Henning

Edward Eugene Henning Born Oct. 19, 1925, in Fresno, CA, he passed away July 25, 2008, at age 82, at Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae, CA. Edward was raised in Fresno, later moving with his family to San Francisco, where he graduated from Horace Mann Junior High and Mission High School. He served in the U.S. Army, from which he was honorably discharged in 1952. Edward had a four-decade career in the merchant marine, during which he earned third-class through chief engineer marine licenses and sailed on everything from Liberty ships to tankers and freighters. He literally traveled the world, from Europe to the Orient to South America. Edward met the love of his life, Dorothy Patricia "Pat" McCann, in San Francisco in the early 1950s, and the couple married July 17, 1955, in New York. They lived in San Francisco until moving in 1960 to Daly City and in May 1962 to San Rafael. Edward took a hiatus from the merchant marine in the late 1950s and early '60s when he co-owned and operated the High Tide cocktail lounge on Geary Street in San Francisco. After the bar was sold, he returned to the merchant marine, working for many years as chief engineer on various Kaiser Permanente Co. ships. After Pat's death on May 2, 1997, Edward continued to live in Terra Linda, where he was a member of St. Isabella's Catholic Church. He enjoyed trips to Lake Tahoe and Reno to gamble and staying in touch with relatives and friends by telephone and e-mail. He also loved baseball, closely following the Oakland A's and San Francisco Giants. The highlight of his life the past 10 years, however, was entertaining his four great-grandchildren, who visited him weekly to swim in his pool and eat his culinary creations, from chicken wings to pizza and pasta. Edward is survived by his daughter, Coral Henning of Sacramento; his son, Darryl Henning of Surprise, AZ; four grandchildren, Darcy Garthwaite of Santa Rosa, Jessica Young of Petaluma, Coriel Love of Brighton, CO, and Erik Helbing of Yorktown, TX; four great-grandchildren, Haley, Jasmine and Hunter Henning and Fiona Garthwaite, all of Santa Rosa; his uncle, Victor Zappettini of San Francisco; and numerous cousins and friends. Cremation is planned; a private service for family will be held. A Celebration of Life for relatives and friends will be held in late September. For info or condolences, call Coral Henning 916-425-2251. In lieu of flowers, donations in Edward's name may be sent to Guide Dogs for the Blind, Attn: Development Department, PO Box 151200, San Rafael, CA 94915-1200.