Bessie Helen Henricks

Bessie Helen Henricks
April 15, 1915 - June 5, 2017
Bessie was born April 15, 1915 in Blair, Wisconsin to Laura and John Tennyson she had 4 sisters and 5 brothers. Bessie moved to Mount Vernon, WA when she was in the 8th grade. She attended The Dalles, Oregon Hospital of nursing and graduated in 1937. At that time nurses training was 3 years long and included working at Dornbecker children’s hospital in Portland. During WWII Bessie served in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps as an Ensign.  Bessie met her late husband Edward William Henricks in The Dalles after nurses training. They were married in Brooklyn NY during the war.
Bessie returned to The Dalles after WWII where she was a nurse at The Dalles Clinic. The clinic had 10 doctors and the nurses rotated with all of the doctors. After retirement she worked part time for the State of Oregon at the Columbia Park Mental Hospital in The Dalles. She worked 40 years as a registered nurse from 1937 to 1977. After retirement she was often called on for family help with illness and in home care.
Bessie lived on a cherry orchard overlooking the Columbia River where she kept the farms books.
Bessie enjoyed traveling and has been across the country numerous times by train. When living on the farm she always enjoyed having a dog, cat, and chickens for eggs. Bessie drove a car until she was 90 years old. Bessie moved to Lebanon in 1991 after her husband’s death to live near her daughter. In 2002 she moved to the Mennonite Village in Albany, Oregon.
Bessie had two children, JoAn and Ed. Bessie had 5 grand children; Nathan Barnes, Christopher Henricks, John Henricks, Edward Henricks, and Victoria Henricks and two great grandchildren Henry and  Georgina Henricks. Her son lives in Albany and her daughter has retired back to The Dalles.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held 11:00am on June 22nd, 2017 at St. Peter’s Catholic church in The Dalles, Oregon. A celebration of life will be held after in the church social hall.