Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry was laid to rest Friday at the Catholic Cemetery on Lake Avenue in Fort Wayne.
Elected five times, Fort Wayne’s longest-serving mayor died late last month after a brief battle with late-stage stomach cancer.
Just before the start of the ceremony, a representative from Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Office read a letter offering condolences to the Henry family and posthumously awarding Henry the highest honor Indiana can bestow upon a citizen, the Sagamore of the Wabash.
After a final public viewing Friday morning, Henry was celebrated by friends and family with a Catholic funeral mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception downtown.
During the ceremony, Henry was remembered as a devout Catholic and military veteran, but more than anything, he was remembered as a lifelong servant to others. Henry’s good friend of over 40 years Steve McElhoe highlighted Henry’s service to his community.
“Fort Wayne, the city Tom loved, is alive with his accomplishments and his vision,” McElhoe said.
After the ceremony, Henry was then taken through downtown by a miles-long procession that passed parts of the city that served as symbols of the work Henry did as mayor. These were places like the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Bridge, Citizens Square and the Veterans’ Memorial bridge among others.
Upon his arrival at the cemetery, Henry received full military honors with the playing of Taps and a three-rifle volley.
Henry was a veteran who served in both the United States Army and Army Reserve before his time in city government. That service brought him overseas to Africa in the 1970’s.
During the ceremony, Henry’s friends and family remembered his overwhelming love for them and his community. McElhoe remembered a time a young girl asked then-Mayor Henry if he was rich.
“Tom looked at the young lady and said ‘Yes, honey, I am rich, but not with money,’” McElhoe said. “‘I am rich because I have a wife, children and family who love me, and I love them. I am also rich because I live in the best city in the best country in the world.’”
McElhoe said that story perfectly encapsulated Henry as “a family man who passionately served his community.”
Father Bill Kummer grew up with Henry. He said Fort Wayne’s economic development was a byproduct of Henry’s passion for service.
“Promenade Park, Parkview Field,” Kummer said. “All of these things that so marked his administration I think came from that same gene. Be of service, help people.”
Henry’s sister, Jessica Henry-Johnson, prayed that Henry’s children, Benjamin and Elizabeth, would see their father as an inspiration.
“May they be comforted by this community and be inspired by the faith of their dad,” she said.
After a Catholic funeral Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception downtown, Henry was taken through his city by a miles-long procession to his final resting place.
The long line of those accompanying his body to the cemetery began with city police and fire vehicles, with street department and other city trucks bringing up the end.
City employees filed outside of Citizens Square, waiting alongside Clinton Street for the hearse to come by.
Some community members, like Fort Wayne resident Willie Henderson, came downtown to the process to pay their respects. He said he’s only seen Fort Wayne improve under Henry’s leadership.
“Boy, I've seen Fort Wayne change over the years,” Henderson said. “The change, the diversity, the improvement in the political structure. He was a straightforward guy.”
Henry was laid to rest at the Catholic Cemetery on Lake Avenue, the same place his wife Cindy was laid to rest in January.
