Nothing stopped Bob Henry. Not the house fire when he was 4 or a fall through thin ice on a frozen lake or his leg being impaled in a motorcycle accident.
Henry, 76, who died after a brief illness on Sunday in Denver, told his grandchildren: “I’m a little piece of leather, but I’m well put together.”
It aptly describes a man, who, when he was 4, tried to rescue his 2-year-old brother from a house fire. The two had been left in their locked house by a babysitter while their parents were at work, said Henry’s daughter, Kileen Hare of Denver.
The stove exploded, setting the house on fire. A neighbor managed to pull out Bob Henry through a window. His brother, Keith, died. Bob Henry suffered damage to his eyes, face and hands.
A Denver Post printer for nearly 40 years, Henry coached wrestling for 21 years at Denver Christian Schools; was a leader for his church’s boys program, the Cadets; built a boat and taught his kids to water-ski; and built and raced motorcycles.
He had at least two motorcycle accidents. In one, he and his bike fell through thin ice on the lake at Georgetown. Another time, a piece of the bike went through his calf. Doctors thought they would have to amputate his leg but managed to save it.
He could fix most anything, said his son, Keith Henry of Denver. Bob Henry believed most things could be fixed with Super Glue, bailing wire or duct tape. In fact, he Super-Glued the rocker in a Chevrolet Impala, and it lasted for years.
Through it all, “he enjoyed life,” said his wife, Beverly Henry, and he was usually in a good mood, said a former co-worker, Larry Parks of Denver. He was easygoing and a hard worker, “but he could rise to the occasion” if someone angered him, said Parks.
Once Bob Henry “bopped a guy in the nose” when the guy attempted to mug him, said Keith Henry.
He loved to tease. He looked in astonishment at Terry Crimmins when he was engaged to Nancy Crimmins, a Post employee. Said Henry, “You sure you want to marry this gal? She swears like a drunken sailor.”
“There are too few characters in this life, and Bob was one of them,” Parks said.
When Henry went for a drink after work, he ordered a “limeade,” his term for gin and Rose’s Lime cordial.
Robert J. Henry was born Feb. 26, 1930, in Carbondale, Ill. He moved to Denver with his family when he was 11 and was state wrestling champion in his junior year at South High School. He was state Golden Gloves boxing champion in 1950.
In addition to his wife, son and daughter, he is survived by five grandchildren and three brothers: Martin Henry of Englewood, Don Henry of Glen Ellyn, Ill., and Jay Henry of Carbondale.
Staff writer Virginia Culver can be reached at vculver@denverpost.com or 303-820-1223.
