Due to the current social restraints, a private family service will be held at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. Pastor Donald Sutton will officiate, and burial will follow in the St. Paul’s Lutheran Cemetery in New Ulm.

The service will be livestreamed starting at 11 am on Thursday on the Minnesota Valley Funeral Homes Facebook page. The service will also be livestreamed through St. Paul’s Lutheran Church’s website at: splnewulm.org

To leave an online condolence for his family, or to sign the guestbook, go to: mvfh.org

Thomas is survived by his wife of over 62 years, Elaine Henning of New Ulm; his daughters, Rebecca (Paul) Berger of Menomonie Falls, Wisconsin, Rachel (Rollin) Fawcett of Bay City, Michigan, Ruth Henning of New Ulm; his sons, Peter (Annette) Henning of Tomball, Texas, Paul (Linda) Henning of New Ulm, Pastor Philip Henning of Burke, South Dakota, Pastor Timothy (Coralee) Henning, Kewaskum, Wisconsin; his 13 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law, Lois Gartner of Livonia, Michigan, Eleanore Becker of Adrian, Michigan, Rita (Ronald) Alexander of St. Claire Shores, Michigan, Karen (George) Guyor of Westland Michigan; and brother-in-law, Harold (Elsie) Petrowsky of Wayne, Michigan.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence and Norma Henning; his sister and brother-in-law, Margaret and Pastor Norbert Meier; his brother, Pastor John Henning; and his grandson, Joshua Henning.

Thomas Charles Walter Henning was born March 26, 1932, to Clarence and Norma (Pinkert) Henning in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was baptized on April 10, 1932, at St. Marcus Evangelical Lutheran Church in Milwaukee by Pastor E. Ph. Dornfeld. As a child, he attended St. Marcus Lutheran School and after instructions in the Word of God, he was confirmed into the faith on May 13, 1945. He attended Lutheran High School in Milwaukee, graduating in the class of 1949. He attended Northwestern College in Watertown, Wisconsin, graduating in 1953 in preparation for attendance at the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. Before graduating from seminary, he spent a year teaching seventh grade at St. John’s Lutheran School in Jefferson Wisconsin and also assisted the pastor there. While in Jefferson, he met his future wife Elaine Petrowsky who was also teaching at St. John’s Lutheran School. He graduated from the seminary in 1957 and was assigned to begin a new congregation in suburban Seattle, Washington. On July 7, 1957, he married Elaine at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wayne, Michigan. The Lord blessed this marriage with seven children, four sons, and three daughters. In 1962 he received and accepted the call to become an associate pastor at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. He spent the rest of his long ministry there retiring from the fulltime ministry in 2000 and completely retiring in 2008 after serving 52 years in the public ministry of his Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord blessed him with not only 52 years in his ministry, but a life with 88 years and 1 month. His mortal remains will be laid to rest in St. Paul’s Lutheran Cemetery in New Ulm there to await the resurrection of all flesh. “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” Romans 1:16.

Memorials are preferred to St. Paul’s Lutheran Schools in New Ulm, MLC, or MVL.

Mvfh.org

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