This month’s Senior Resident Spotlight goes to Henry who resides at Renaissance Village Murrieta. Henry was one of seven children and was born in Fresno, California on July 2, 1940. The way of life was much different, there were only 50 people in the town Henry lived. Everyone walked or biked wherever they went, which is where Henry’s love of bicycles began. He was an entrepreneur at heart, even at an early age, he worked mowing lawns and had a paper route.
Henry met Pat, the woman he would go on to later marry when he was 16-years-old. The two were married for 21 years and had four daughters and one son together. He fondly remembers taking them out boating and water skiing.
Joining the Marine Corps
Henry later joined the Marine Corps and held the rank of Private First Class. He was at Camp Pendleton and graduated from MCRD San Diego. After Camp Pendleton, he went to Hawaii and then back to California. While in the Marine Corps, he was a cook and drove an Ontos Anti-tank.
After he got out of the Marine Corps, Henry worked at a Macaroni Plant in Fresno. Not too long after, he was hired by SPS Western as a Magnuflux Inspector and inspected aircraft bolts. He later worked construction in San Clemente on Presidential Heights where Nixon lived.
The Trucking Life
Henry then went the trucking route, partnering with his 2nd wife, Adriene. Their first drop off was at the World Trade Center in New York. Henry was scared to drive a big 40-footer through the middle of Manhattan, so the owner of the company drove it in for him. The owner really liked Henry and told him to give him a call if he ever needed a job, which he later took him up on.
Henry went to Umpqua Community College and
studied business. He was an entrepreneur at heart and at that time, he and Adriene purchased a bike shop. They loved biking together, in fact, whenever they went trucking, they would take their bikes with them and bike around the towns they made deliveries to. Adriene and Henry were married for 13 years before they divorced.
Henry later married his 3rd wife, Cathy, and they traveled all over the world together seeing beautiful countries like France, Spain, Italy and more. The two were married for 17 years before she passed away.
Today, Henry has 19 grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. He and his Pomeranian Husky, Little Bear live at Renaissance Village Murrieta and they both love it here. Henry and Little Bear enjoy their daily walks around the trails near the community.
