St. Joseph’s dedicates park to Henry family patriarch
For a moment the rain had stopped, which made it hard to disguise the tears that fell in St. Joseph Hospital’s memorial garden Thursday morning.
Mayor Tom Henry, his mother, most of his 16 siblings and many friends had gathered on the lawn near Main and Van Buren streets to dedicate the garden to the late Jerome Henry Sr., the Henry family patriarch and prominent social worker who dedicated his life to the hospital’s mission.
The 6,000-square-foot garden had not yet been named and was created after the hospital tore down a 56-year-old vacant building on the site last year.
As family members and friends huddled under a small tent, St. Joseph Chief Executive Officer Kirk Ray spoke about Jerry Henry Sr.’s involvement with the hospital, Bloomingdale neighborhood and the Fort Wayne community.
“It’s a pleasure to publicly acknowledge Jerry Henry for all he had selflessly given to the community,” he said. “I get a little teary-eyed when people ask why we decided to do this, … but I could go on and on and on.”
After a short prayer, Ray removed a blue blanket and unveiled a garden boulder adorned with a memorial plaque in Henry’s honor.
His widow, Marganelle Henry, 80, cried as she accepted a replica of the plaque.
“It’s hard to express the words in my heart right now,” she said, before asking that acceptance remarks be made by her eldest son, Jerome F. Henry Jr.
Jerry Henry Sr. died shortly after a stroke last November.
The 82-year-old had led a remarkable life of service – working as director of Catholic Social Services, a division of Catholic Charities, and helping to found Matthew 25, the East Wayne Street Center, the local chapter of Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Park Center.
Henry served on a host of boards throughout his lifetime, but Jerry Henry Jr. said the hospital “always has a special place” in his father’s heart.
Henry served on the hospital’s Mission Integration Committee, which worked to ensure the hospital was living up to its Catholic mission: to serve everyone who walked through the door.
Jerry Henry Jr. said his father was particularly dedicated to the hospital’s burn unit.
“He said, ‘Very seldom do rich people get burned,’ ” he said. “It’s usually children and working people and poor people.”
Most of Henry’s children were born at St. Joseph. Several said they had mixed emotions about the ceremony.
While they were proud and honored by the gesture, they said they knew their father would’ve been a little embarrassed by the recognition.
“Dad would never have wanted something named after him,” Jerry Henry Jr. said. “He was a very humble person.”
Mayor Henry, who seemed to fight back tears during the ceremony, described his father as very educated and well read.
“He could have chosen any field to go into, … but what did he do?” he said. “He chose to be a social worker. He felt there was no greater award on Earth than to be of service to your fellow man.”
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