Alice Henning, of Shakopee, passed away peacefully on December 1, 2017 at the age of 96. A visitation will be held on Monday, December 4, 2017 from 4:00 – 7:00 PM and on Tuesday, December 5, 2017 from 9:45 – 10:45 AM at Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation in Shakopee. Mass of Christian Burial is Tuesday, December 5, 2017 at 11:00 AM at the Parish of Saints Joachim & Anne (St. Mark’s Church) in Shakopee. Father Erik Lundgren will preside, and Alice’s grandchildren will act as pallbearers. She will be laid to rest at Shakopee Catholic Cemetery.
On April 6, 1921, Alice Rita Tracy was born to John and Alice (Burns) Tracy. She was one of five children, and loved growing up in the Bronx with her siblings, Ed, John, Mary and Jean. After graduating from high school, Alice enrolled in nursing school. Soon the war broke out, and Alice was fast-tracked through her program. She enlisted in the Navy, because She felt it was her duty. Alice proudly served as a nurse in the United States Navy until her honorable discharge.
While in the Navy she was set up on a blind date with a Navy pilot named Walter Henning. On their first date Alice noticed that Walter had a church bulletin in his back pocket, so she knew he was a good guy. Their love grew quickly, and they exchanged wedding vows on February 7, 1945. Alice became a homemaker and Walter continued his career with the Navy. Walter’s work brought them all over the world, and they grew their family along the way.
Throughout the years, they lived in Virginia, Florida, the Philippines, and all over California. They were blessed with twelve children, and Alice certainly had her hands full at home. She was a good wife and mother. She packed everyone’s lunch every day and had a way of making all her children feel special. As a family they did a lot of camping. Although she made it look easy, having such a big family was a lot of work. Some nights Alice would treat herself to a cup of ice cream. She would conceal it in a coffee mug so she wouldn’t have to share with the kids.
Throughout her life, Alice enjoyed swimming, golfing and gardening. She also liked to travel with her husband. Over the years they visited Yellowstone, Europe and took many wonderful cruises. Although Alice had many hobbies, the most important things in her life were her family and her faith. Alice was a devout Christian. She had a very strong faith, and she spent a lot of time praying for each of her children over the years (especially the teenage years). Alice attended mass every week and raised her family within the Catholic tradition.
In retirement Alice and Walter moved back to Walter’s home state of Minnesota. They spent more than 20 years in Eden Valley before moving back to the Shakopee area to be close to family. The last 15 years have been hard for Alice as she struggled with Alzheimer’s Disease. Alice was always a quiet and faithful woman. She was so proud of her family and now leaves them to carry on her legacy.
She will be remembered always by her children, Joseph (Cheryl) Henning, Patrick (June) Henning, Kathleen Nelson, James (Patty) Henning, Gerald (Brenda) Henning, Thomas (Lani) Henning, Timothy Henning, Eileen (Jerry) Domeier, Ann (Larry) Anderson, John (Teresa) Henning; son-in-law, Bob Duran; 23 grandchildren; 31 great-grandchildren; sister, Jean (Francis Xavier) Colbert. Alice is preceded by her husband, Walter Henning; son, Michael Henning; daughter, Margaret Duran; son-in-law, Ron Nelson; grandson-in-law, Pete Klose.
