Harold A. Henry

January 12, 2023

Harold A. Henry

Service Details

It is with great sadness that the family of Harold Albert "Hank" Henry announces his passing on January 12, 2023, at the age of 102.

A life-long native of Iowa, Harold was born in Van Meter on Oct. 16, 1920. At the age of 15 he left home to live and work on a neighbor's farm where he loved pulling a plow and performing other chores with a team of horses.

In 1939, at the age of 18, he enlisted in the Army prior to the beginning of WWII. At Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, he instructed new recruits in close order drill and the intricacies of artillery maneuvers.

While stationed at Fort Sill, he met his wife-to-be, Marguerite Erma Bayles, from nearby Walters, Oklahoma, and after a whirlwind courtship they married.

At the outset of America's entry into WWII, Harold was offered the job of supervising machine gunners. He opted instead to drive "anything with wheels" and, ultimately, on D-Day (as a member of Battery C, 47th Field Artillery, 5th Armored Division) drove an F-7 turretless tank onto Omaha Beach in support of D-Day and the liberation of France.

After the war, Harold drove and managed a Pepsi, then Coke, route for several years, then transitioned to driving a semitruck cross-country. At retirement, he was the Global Van Lines agent for Iowa and surrounding states and owner of Jack's Transfer and Storage in Des Moines.

Harold and Erma's favorite getaway was to drive their Winnebago camping to parts south and southwest. Harold enjoyed reading about the Old West and visiting legendary Old West towns and associated landmarks. He took advantage of family ties to the Indycar Racing Leaque (IRL) series to attend many races around the country.

He is survived by his son, Harold Keith Henry, daughter Rita Kay Courtney and her husband John, and by daughter Patti Ann Bitting, grandsons Robert Michael Channel, Jr., John Albert Courtney II, Thomas Patrick Bitting, Jr. and Pete Earl Bitting, granddaughters Traci LeAnn (nee Courtney) Countryman and Jessica Marie (nee Henry) Mandaci, 6 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren.

He was predeceased by his wife, Erma Marguerite (nee Bayles) Henry, of 56 years, and his parents William Albert Henry and Lenora Amy Etta (nee Lewis-Gross) Henry, and by his daughter-in-law Mary Helene (nee Westcott) Henry, and son-in-law Thomas Patrick (Ted) Bitting.

A graveside service in memory of Harold will be held with military honors at a future date at Van Meter Cemetery, Van Meter, Iowa. Services are being managed by Hamilton Funeral Home, Des Moines.

Memorial donations in memory of Harold can be made in honor of his wife, Erma, to the
National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

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