In Memory

Henry Herrick

Henry Leland Herrick, III
Born: September 13, 1954
Died: February 12, 2016

To add to Lee's memory book, please go to:

http://www.feerickfuneralhome.com/home/index.cfm/obituaries/view/fh_id/14932/id/3598354

 



 
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02/25/16 04:00 PM #1    

Ross Plaetzer

From Mike Doyle, Class of '75--

It is with a heavy heart that I forward an e-mail that I sent to some of Lee Herrick’s old teammates and distance running friends to notify them of his passing on February 12th. You can read the details below. Henry was a good friend of mine since high school, and was truly a one-of-a-kind individual. Smart, witty, totally irreverent, he was a guy who simply defied authority and lived life as his own man, right to the end. He had an amazing mind for numbers and dates (and was appropriately an accountant for years, working with Arthur Anderson and IBM), and he had incredible knowledge of a wide range of subjects. You had to be on your toes to keep up with his witticisms and sometimes obtuse references – but that made him so interesting and fun to be with.  You probably also remember him as quite a talented runner, placing 4th (4:31) in the state track meet in the mile in 72. The class of 72 has lost another good one, unfortunately. I’ll miss him a lot.

Sorry to bring you this news.

Mike Doyle

WFB Class of 1975

From: Mike and Judy Doyle [mailto:mdoylefive@gmail.com]

Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 2016 9:56 PM

Subject: In Memory of Henry Leland "Lee" Herrick III

Guys:

I am sad to have to bring you the news that Henry “Lee” Herrick crossed the finish line of his last race on Friday morning, February 12. I believe that after telling a few off-color jokes to St Peter, followed by advice to “keep a tight grip on your booze and try not to fall in love”, he probably ran a cool down lap or two with his old idol, Steve Prefontaine.

I think you all knew that Henry was battling advanced prostate cancer when we saw him at the celebration party after Coach Van’s HOF induction last spring. He held up pretty well most of the summer and into the fall, but the cancer really took hold in the late fall and into the winter. Though Henry fought with a lot of guts, strength, and devil-may-care attitude, by the end of January the cancer was raging and he passed away shortly after entering hospice the second week of February. His wish was to have no obituary, no funeral service or wake, and no grave side service – and his wishes were fulfilled in that regard. But, I think he would be OK with notifying his old teammates and distance running compadres about his passing. I spent a bit of time with Henry during the last year, and I can say that he cherished those glory days of youth spent training and racing distances at WFB. I dare say he considered those days the best days of his life, and he often talked about each and every one of you on this e-mail list (along with Coach Van, other teachers and coaches at Bay, other teammates, and distance rivals in the Suburban Conference).

Perhaps someday we will have the opportunity to gather again as a group, and at that time we can all raise a glass or two and share a favorite “Henry” story – we probably all have a few. I have a number, but I think my favorite may be the time he hijacked the team bus after the Highlander Relays when the bus driver left to go find the coaches and foolishly left the keys in the ignition. I’ll never forget Blackie Zamzow and the driver in hot pursuit as Henry wheeled around the lot, parking in a far corner and then hiding in the back. We never did give him up, and Zamzow had to finally relent in his effort to find the perpetrator.

Mick

PS - He may owe more than a few of you money…as he would say, “tough”.

Fall 1969

 


 


02/26/16 07:26 AM #2    

Tom Morgan

I have known Lee since we were in Indian Guides together when I was six. He always made me laugh with that wry sense of humor. I'll never forget senior year at Wisconsin, when he showed up at the apartment I shared with Chris Behymer. Lee was dressed in cowboy boots and hat, plopped down on the couch, opened up a beer and said, "sit down there cowboy, before I mop up the hacienda with that long blond hair of yours". We spent the next several hours laughing until I cried, while my stomach hurt more with each laugh. Lee was the only guy I knew who memorized multiplication tables to 3 digits, maybe even four. I asked him why, and he said "I had some time on my hands and figured it might be handy some day". I lost touch with my friend, and searched for him unsuccessfully using the Internet over the past few years. I am truly saddened to hear if his passing before I could find him. Just last week I found a Lee Herrick on LinkedIn with a smart ass profile, and was sure it had to be our Lee. As with all of our classmates who have moved on, he will be missed and the world will be a little less interesting as a result. I hope you find the big hacienda in the sky to your liking Hank.

02/28/16 12:16 PM #3    

Jerold Just

I met Lee in Bobby Humke's algebra class freshman year.  He put his math skills to use entertaining us with Mr H asking Lee what 374 times 851 equalled.... in 5 seconds Lee would blurt out the answer.  Our lockers were in close proximity and we shared some track expoits. He was very driven.  Lee was incredibly bright and had a wry,,, even edgy, sense of humor, a fun guy to be around, even if it meant getting into a little trouble.  Thinking of him always brings a smile to my face.  We'll miss you Henry!

Jerry Just


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