Walter Henes Obituary

Walter E. Henes II (91) passed away peacefully on August 9, 2025, in Flagstaff, Arizona, after a yearlong battle with a deteriorating body and a wandering mind. While his family will miss him dearly, we are grateful that he has been released and is off causing chaos, laughter and adventure in greener fields.

Born in 1933 in Menominee, Michigan to Walter E. Henes I and Francis Henes, and the youngest of three siblings, Dad had innumerable stories about the hijinks he got up to including skunk taxidermy, postal competitions and kissing frozen shovels. After high school he attended Washington and Lee University (W&L) for two years in Virginia before being drafted into the Army. He spent most of that time in post-WWII Germany as a Teletype Interceptor. Not seeing active conflict, Dad thought the opportunity of being in the military and his time overseas was a wonderful gift which helped him mature and appreciate an education far more than he had previously. He returned to W&L, graduated and then got a master's degree in Geology from the University of Michigan (U-M) finishing in the summer of 1960. Dad once stated that he wanted to make a donation to W&L because it got him into the U of M. And he wanted to make a bigger donation to the U-M. And then he choked up. "Because the U-M is where I met your mother." That is his love, Lynne Betts Henes. They married on October 15, 1960 and were just shy of their 65th anniversary.

Lynne and Walt followed a winding path through their marriage. Starting his sales career with Union Carbide, they lived in Buffalo, NY; Houston, TX and Pittsburgh, PA before relocating to the uranium exploration industry in Uravan, CO. The uranium industry had already had its 'glory' moment and less than 2 years after they arrived, it closed down. Rather than relocating again, Walt and Lynne chose to try their hand at farming and ranching at the Fish Creek Ranch at 8,000' on the West Dolores River. Learning to farm potatoes, raise the full contingent of farm animals and feed a hungry farm crew filled their days, while their children got to run wild in the mountains.

This first chapter of farming set the tone for the next iterations of farm life. Their family moved out of the mountains and onto better farming land and eventually Walter found his long-term niche in the agricultural world. He enjoyed everything about agriculture and native grasses and wildflowers became his passion and the backbone of the family seed company, Southwest Seed. When he began getting free time as a 'mature' adult, Walt got involved in community service, serving on many boards including the RE-1 school board in Cortez, the Soil Conservation District, the Pinon Project and the Hospital Board where his quick wit, his ability to evaluate all sides of a situation and to act with compassion made him a highly regarded advocate for the greater good of the community. Walt and Lynne enjoyed traveling in their camper, time on the Sea of Cortez in San Carlos, Mexico, traveling to foodie destinations in Europe and sailing.

Walt is survived by his wife Lynne, his four children Roberta, Walter III, Alfred and Karen and four lovely grandchildren Alexsandra and Cydnie Henes and Aubrey and Garron Maroney. A Celebration of Life will be arranged at a later date. In lieu of flowers, Walt would approve of donations to his local NPR station KSJD www.ksjd.org. KSJD kept him company on sleepless nights and fed his need to know what was happening in the world.