Joseph Henner

Joseph Henner, age 94, passed away on May 28, 2026, at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center in Grants Pass, Oregon. He was born August 25, 1931, in Salzburg, Austria. Like children around the world, he endured struggles associated with growing up during World War II. In 1950, Joe and two friends boarded a ship and traveled to Canada, where Joe began working in copper mines. Soon after, Joe became an apprentice diesel mechanic with International Harvester and honed his skills as an amazing mechanic.

It was in Canada that he met and married his beautiful bride, Wilma Hindemit, who immigrated to Canada from Germany with her family. Wilma and Joe ignited a timeless love that continued until his death, just 15 days shy of their 72nd Wedding Anniversary.

After settling in the small town of Bolton, near Toronto, Joe, and Wilma bought their first home and a small gas station. Soon after, they welcomed their beautiful daughter Doreen and son Joey. In 1963, Joe and Wilma sold everything and packed what was left in a 1962 Mercury. They adventured from Canada to the US, traveling Route 66. Joe and Wilma told stories of their journey. In one example, when they arrived at the border entry to the USA, US Customs refused to allow them entry because they had a large bag of oranges for their journey. Joe argued the oranges were in fact Florida oranges that he purchased in Canada and said if he could not take them into the US, they would park in the lot and eat them all. They were still denied entry and the family sat and ate nearly the entire bag before entering the states.

Their most frightening moment came while traveling across New Mexico. They were stopped for speeding on a lonely stretch of highway, and the officer directed them to a small town, saying if they did not immediately see the Justice of the Peace, a warrant would be issued for his arrest. Wilma talks about how frightened she was as she sat in the car with her two young children hoping he would emerge from the small courthouse.

After arriving in California, they purchased a home in Campbell and a Union 76 gas station in Los Gatos. Joe gained a following of loyal customers, including the Los Gatos Police Department and a large regional ambulance company. Along with his regular customers, Joe stayed busy working on a variety of police cars and large Cadillac ambulances. His work spawned lifelong family friendships that endure to this day. Former long-term mechanics, some he hired shortly after they graduated high school are still in communication. Close friends, the Giordano family of Los Gatos, spent countless times together at work and at family gatherings.

Joe’s son was a regular fixture at the gas station. He spent many summer days and almost every Saturday working with his dad. From the age of 8 or 9, he witnessed a work ethic from his father that followed him through life. At the station, young Joe wore a Union 76 polo shirt, complete with a belt mounted retractable key chain. For many years, little Joe pumped gas, cleaned windshields, and checked oil during an era where customer service was part of a fill-up. Inside the station, little Joe served as the official goffer for the mechanics. Since tools are the lifeblood of a mechanic, little Joe was responsible for cleaning and returning every tool at the end of the day. He recalls vividly as his dad instructed him on the proper location of every single tool in “Dad’s ole’ red toolbox.”

His son recalls a stretch of time when he and his father discovered broken windows or forced doors because the gas station was burglarized overnight. The floor safe was no match for the thieves. After the third burglary, Joe called his young son into the parts room of the station. A large wall mounted shelving unit held dozens and dozens of individually boxed oil, air, and fuel filters. At the end of the workday, Joe would look over his shoulder to make sure they were alone, and then have his young son select a random filter. That became the location of the days cash until it was retrieved the following morning.

At the time, California was a safe and enjoyable place to raise a family, which grew with the birth of their third child, Angela. In the late 1960’s, Joe and Wilma purchased a small plot of land in Soda Springs Ca, near Donner Summit. For an entire summer, every weekend, the two Joe’s and various friends traveled four hours to build a cabin Joe designed using plans from a Swiss Chalet. By summer’s end, the beautiful 2-story mountain retreat was complete. At over 7,000’ elevation, the cabin endured winters that typically saw 6’-8’ of snow. Joe and Wilma’s son and daughter-in-law visited the cabin 2-years ago and found it as sturdy and beautiful as it was in 1970. Over the course of many years, Joe and Wilma traveled winter and summer to snow ski, fish and escape the chaos of the bay area. They opened their cabin to friends and family and carefully logged everyone’s adventure in a guest book.

In 1975, recognizing how California life had become more chaotic and stressful, they sold their home and business and once again adventured in search of a better place to raise their children. On May 24,1975, Memorial Day weekend, Joe pulled into Grants Pass, Oregon and the family found themselves in the middle of small-town America. That day, they saw a parade and watched boats floating the beautiful Rogue River.

Joe and Wilma purchased a 7-acre farm at the base of Mt. Baldy, and within months added chickens, pigs, sheep, and cattle. Joe began servicing gas station equipment, a business he operated for many years. His son recalls being told to enroll in the Future Farmers of America (FFA) program at Lincoln Savage Middle School. Dad told him he would need help learning how to raise animals. That life was challenging and extremely time-consuming, but memorable and rewarding.

His son recalls the many times he was awakened by his dad yelling, “get up, the steers (or sheep, or pigs, or all of them) are out.” One outing had them running in the rain from their home on Hamilton Lane, across Fruitdale Creek and all the way down Cloverlawn Drive to Fruitdale Drive. At that time, it was nearly a straight shot because the area was primarily open pasture and fruit orchards.

Small farm life was adventurous and quiet. In 1991, Joe and Wilma sold their home to their son Joe and his wife Mary. Joe and Wilma remained in a new home on the same property and experienced immense joy living next to their family and watching two of their granddaughters grow and move on to adulthood. As neighbors for over thirty years, the two families shared meals several times a week, played games, had many happy hour gatherings, watched movies, and worked on projects side-by-side.

In late 1991, Joe decided to convert his pasture to a small tree farm. The same year, Joe and his son handplanted 5,000 tree seedlings in the old cattle pasture. For years, the two families operated J & J Tree Farm, offering u-cut Christmas trees. Years later, the City of Grants Pass approached Joe and Wilma with an offer to purchase their pasture for parkland. For years, Joe had expressed frustration at how much of the farmland in the Fruitdale area had evolved into subdivisions. He often asked where kids were supposed to play given their small yards and no nearby parks. Despite being contacted by developers, Joe and Wilma decided to sell their land to the city so it would be earmarked for a future park.

Today, the paved Fruitdale pedestrian path weaves through dozens of large Scotch Pine and Douglas Fir trees along Fruitdale Creek, with Mt. Baldy in the background. The small forest represents remnants of what was once a beautiful pasture and healthy tree farm.

Joe and Wilma remained active in retirement and traveled by RV around the US. They wintered in Indio, CA and returned home every spring. Wilma dedicated many years as a volunteer with the Grants Pass Chamber of Commerce. At the same time, Joe volunteered for an amazing 18 years with Grants Pass Public Safety Auxiliary. He spent countless hours patrolling for handicapped parking violators and directed traffic during Back to the 50’s and the Christmas Parade. His family recalls many cold Christmas parades and going with Joe and Wilma to dinner after his traffic directing duties ended for the night. His hands were always cold, and he often spoke about the parade floats and his partners in the auxiliary.

Joe was a courageous man with a strong work ethic and unbreakable dedication to his family. In a fitting coincidence, Mt. Baldy was visible from the hospital room window, as his wife and children remained by his side until he took his final breath. The family is extremely grateful to all the staff at Three Rivers Hospital. From the emergency department to the amazingly kind nursing staff on the third floor, our family was treated like we were their family. As we left the hospital, we had a heartfelt conversation with two of the hospital’s security officers, who expressed their sorrow and demonstrated kindness and compassion.

Joe was preceded in death by his beautiful daughter Doreen in 2009. He is survived by his wife Wilma Henner of Grants Pass OR, son Joe (Mary) Henner of Merlin OR, daughter Angie (Brian) McLemore of Medford OR, his grandchildren Ryan (Jennifer) Waller of Nashville TN, Stephanie (Josh) Quick of Merlin, OR, Melissa (Darren) Welch of Central Point, OR, Drew McLemore and Adriane McLemore of Medford, Oregon. He left behind his five precious great grandchildren Garrett, Trevor, Bryson, Madison, and Easton, who brought immense joy to him. Special love to his niece Jeannie Amarillas of Grants Pass, who showered Joe and Wilma with love and support until the very end.

Joe and Wilma hold a special place in their hearts for Parkside Elementary School in Grants Pass where their oldest granddaughter teaches, and their two oldest great grandsons received an amazing education. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in honor of Joseph Henner, to Parkside Elementary School, 735 Wagoner Meadows Dr., Grants Pass, OR 97526, with his name on the subject line.

No public memorial is planned.