John Wayne Henry's Obituary
John Wayne Henry, of The Ranchos, Gardnerville, Nevada, passed away peacefully on the 27th of January 2026 after a long illness.
He was born to parents, George and Virginia (Ginny) on December 31, 1931, in Holtville, CA. John graduated from Marysville High School and went on to study Civil Engineering. He was licensed by the State of California as a Civil Engineer in 1958. His career in Civil Engineering began with the California Dept of Highways, followed by Sierra County, CA as Head of Public Works, then a stint at Occidental Petroleum and La Bell Consultants, in Orange County, CA. He moved to Anchorage, Alaska in 1975 and to Juneau, AK in 1976. He worked at the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities until the end of his professional career.
He moved to Coquille, OR in retirement, but the lure of Alaska was too great, and he returned to settle in Soldotna, AK. John and Marvis kept a winter home in Yuma as their snowbird get-away where John enjoyed frequent visits to the pistol club. In 2020, he moved to Gardnerville, NV.
His early life was colored by the hardships of the Depression and then WWII. From Holtville, the family moved to Northern California where they initially stayed in a riverbank cave before securing a rental on a property in the Buckeye area near Redding. He walked 2 miles to school every day which included a shortcut through a field with a bull that he had to outrun.
After Pearl Harbor, the family settled in Olivehurst, CA. John went to high school in Marysville. He had many interests in his youth including radio-controlled airplanes, hunting and motorized bicycles. He shared these interests with his lifelong friend, Ted Chastain, who recently celebrated his 95th birthday. John recalled how when he was in High School, he was half a head smaller than his classmates. Other kids would want to pick a fight with John, but Ted told them if they wanted to fight, they could fight him. That’s a good friend.
John married his first wife, Marylee and set up house in Marysville. During this period, he and Howard Lolmaugh designed the main sanctuary and exterior baptistery for the Church of the Nazarene in Marysville, which is still standing today. He also partnered in a swimming pool company with his brother-in- law, Gary Flanery. John and Marylee had 6 children in 8 years. They divorced after 19 years of marriage.
John was married a short while to Muriel Sheehan.
John married Marvis (Johnson) Wood, in 1978 in Juneau. Alaska.
John was resourceful and instilled this value in his children from an early age. His children were given new bikes at 10 years. After the purchase, it was up to them to repair and maintain their bikes. They discovered the bucket of odd bolts was for repairing anything that came apart, the engine oil, WD-40 and patch kit for other repairs.
Unconventional, independent and irreverent are words you might use to describe John. He had a deep seated disdain for restrictions. He wasn’t a fan of gates and fences which he viewed as obstacles, not barriers, and he had a disregard for “no trespassing” and “no hunting” signs. He preferred to ask for forgiveness rather than permission.
John had a strong entrepreneurial spirit, from operating a gravel pit, salvage yard, harvesting timber, wooden model making, property development to rebuilding boats, motors and any other equipment that crossed his path. He and his wife, Marvis Henry, had a habit of visiting garage sales on the Kenai peninsula and were famous in the family for their generosity in sending unsolicited boxes of winter clothing and other items when the Grandchildren were small.
He collected things with passion. From clocks to boats and motors, to silk flowers and framed art, he collected with the attitude that quantity was better than quality. He failed to use space to limit his collections, and a bargain made it all the sweeter. It brought him joy up until the end. His days always included a trip to local thrift stores or garage sales.
He had great faith in the power of positive thinking, and his irrepressible optimism was infectious. His wit, humor, and gift of the gab were a joy to be around. They also got him out of many situations that his disdain for following rules got him into. He was always ready with an apt expression, such as “finer than frog’s hair” or “slipperier than goose grease”.
He is survived by his wife, Marvis Henry, of Sterling AK. His surviving children include Kate Miller (Steve), Jennifer Blythe (Bill), Nathan Henry (Lindy), Larry Henry (Deanna), Sharon Durham (Dan), daughter-in-law, Outi Henry and his stepchildren, Nancy Donner (Bill) and Scott Wood. He leaves behind numerous Grandchildren and great-Grandchildren as well.
He is predeceased by his parents, George and Virginia Henry, brother Sherrill Henry, and son Kevin Henry.
Shortly before his death, he woke up momentarily laughing. When asked what he was laughing about, he responded “A joke about fish”, in his dream. I’m sure he is smiling and having a good laugh right now.
There will be a memorial service to be announced at a later date.
What’s your fondest memory of John?
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