Obituary of Waldemar Henne

The Life of Wally Henne.

Waldemar (Wally) Henne was born in Pforzheim, Germany on March 12, 1935 to Erna & Walter Henne, as first of 5 children. They all survived WWII and the bombing of their hometown.

He trained to be a certified watchmaker and worked as such for a few years in Pforzheim and Munich.

In 1956 he decided to emigrate to Calgary, Alberta where he met Elly, an immigrant herself from Switzerland, in 1964 and they married in 1965.

In 1971 they decided to move to Sarnia, Ontario. Where, in 1973 they opened Exquisite China on Christina Street, which eventually became Henne's Jewellery, and they operated it until their retirement in 1997, when Markus their oldest son took over.

Elly & Wally raised their 3 sons in Sarnia - Markus and Daniel born in Calgary and Francis born in Sarnia.

Wally is survived by his wife Elly of 60 years, his sons Markus and his children Marika (Dhruv), Chase and Mason; Daniel (Lisa); Francis and his son Max. Predeceased by his parents Erna & Walter Henne, sister-in-law Imme and brother-in-law Bernhard Scharpfenecker all of Germany, daughter-in-law Joerika, grandsons Merrik and Mathew of Sarnia.

Survived by brothers Reinhard (Inge) and Dieter, sisters Edeltraut and Rita (Gerd) and several nieces and nephews all of Germany.

Wally was an active member of the Sarnia Kiwanis Club (later Sarnia Golden K), the Lambton Outdoor Club and the Masterswimming of Ontario and Canada.

At 64 he took part in a cycling and camping tour across Canada. He also did numerous cycling tours in Canada and Europe, alone and in groups. His last 40km ride was with his son Dan and his wife Lisa in October 2024.

He hiked through his beloved Black Forest in Germany twice, once alone and once with his son Dan. But his passion was swimming, where he competed provincially, nationally and internationally, bringing home lots of medals, mostly gold. His last competition was in 2023. At 88 years he broke several provincial records in his age group.

Whenever somebody, either family, friends or clubs, needed a helping hand, he was always there.

In late December 2024 his health started to decline, although he was able to celebrate his 60th anniversary and his 90th birthday with family and friends. Soon afterwards he was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of ALS. With the help of "Carepartners", "Ontario Health at Home", "Bayshore and their palliative care team" and the "VON", EIly was able to care for Wally at home.

On July 6, 2025 with Elly, with his family at his side and the aid of MAID he left us peacefully.

Arrangements entrusted to the McKenzie & Blundy Funeral Home & Cremation Centre, 519-344-3131. Messages of condolence & memories may be left at www.mckenzieblundy.com.

 

 

Celebration of Life For
Waldemar (Wally) Henne
Who passed away on July 6,2025
Will be held on
Saturday, September 6, 2025
From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
At the Kiwanis Centre
180 College Ave. N.
Sarnia, Ontario
As Wally wished it will be a very informal occasion
Donation in Wally's memory are gratefully accepted to
The Kiwanis Foundation lnc.
THANK YOU
The Henne Family