Jules P. Henke Jr.

Jules Paul Henke Jr., 89 of Ethridge, passed away Sunday, July 7, 2019, surrounded by his family at Northern Rockies Medical Center in Cut Bank. He died due to complications from a massive stroke on June 21.

Memorial service will be held Saturday, July 13, 2019 at 11 a.m. in the Shelby High School Auditorium followed by a luncheon in the multi-purpose room.

Jr. was born on March 3, 1930 in Medicine Lake to Jules and Gracie (Higgins) Henke Sr. He was the oldest of seven siblings. He grew up on a farm by Dagmar, completing school through the eighth grade at Sunnyside School. He was his dad’s full-time hired man until he married Leona Luebke on Feb. 26, 1956 in Froid. They started married life working on the farm by Dagmar. He and Leona attended gospel meetings and made their choice in April 1957 to follow the teachings of Jesus. It has given their lives purpose.

In 1958 they moved to Fort Benton and continued farming there until 1961. They lived near Loma and Chester until Jr returned to Froid in February 1963 to work in an elevator. After two years in Froid he decided to try a salesman job and moved to Park City. That was not the job for him and in March 1965 they moved to Lindsay where he was an assistant manager for a grain elevator. In March 1967 they bought a farm by Ethridge where his sons are still farming today.

During the late 1970s Jr and Leona started “going south” for a couple weeks during the winter to Arizona. Each year their time in the sun gradually got longer, eventually spending 6-7 months a year there after purchasing a home in the Foothills near Yuma. Friendships grew with meeting more from their fellowship family of snowbirds.

Jr loved to go fishing, especially ice fishing, hunting with his brothers and sons and nephews, all aspects of farming, going to auction sales, jeeping on the desert, enjoyed the Arizona sunshine, camping and hiking in Glacier National Park, taking care of his garden, spending time with his grandchildren and great grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife, Leona of 63 years; son, Kevin (Charlene), his children Teresa (Eric) Inabnit, Logan and Max; Scott (Kristine), Eliese and Mason; son, Miles (Arlene), children Luke and Jonathan; daughter, Yvonne (Bob) Neary, children Bobbie (Craig) Bolton, Brooklyn and Beau; son, Curt (Linda), children Matt Kultgen, Kassie Kultgen and Mikayla; son, Tom, children Justen and Kolten; daughter, Janette (Scott) Racki, children Katryna and Cody. Siblings Robert (Louise), Betty Walter, Lowell, Ruth and Richard (Darlene); numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Mary and brother-in-law Bud, and brother-in-law Floyd Walter.