Family, friends and colleagues packed Sherwood Park's Festival Place for yesterday's memorial service to honour Dennis Henke.
The long-time assistant general manager of the Edmonton Trappers died last Friday at the age of 57 following a lengthy battle with cancer.
Pacific Coast League president Branch Rickey, Edmonton Eskimos' president and CEO Hugh Campbell along with team COO Rick LeLacheur were on hand for the service.
In the eulogy delivered by local sports talk show host Ron Rimer, Henke was remembered as a soft-spoken individual who never knew how many lives he touched.
"It never occurred to him that he was so popular and would be missed so much," Rimer told the roughly 500 people to fill the Festival Place theatre.
"Yet the very fact that so many have gathered here today to celebrate his life says as much about him and his kindness than mere words could ever say."
John Fogerty's Centerfield, tunes by Vince Gill and Johnny Cash, as well as the floral baseball bat and ball that adorned the stage, all served to underscore Henke's love of country music and passion for America's national pastime.
"I think it was just wonderfully done," said LeLacheur. "Everything that was in it was part of him."
LeLacheur added one of Henke's truly remarkable qualities was his willingness to shun the limelight.
CEREMONIAL PITCH
In LeLacheur's book, that became readily apparent when it came time to select someone to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Trappers' final home game.
"He really didn't want any part of it," related LeLacheur. "He thought it should be somebody else. We knew right from the start there was only one person that it should be and that was Dennis."
Rickey, who arrived in town yesterday and left immediately after the service, was also impressed with the memorial service.
"It was just an incredible testimony and a wonderful glimpse of the Dennis I had not seen as much which was the Dennis outside of baseball," the PCL president said.
Gary Tater was hired by Henke to work on the grounds crew at old John Ducey Park and went on to become the team's baseball information manager.
Tater was hard-pressed to explain how large an impact Henke had on his life.
"Dennis was the one that gave me a job with the Trappers and gave me the opportunity, so I don't really think I can put into words how much that meant to me," said Tater, now a civilian member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
"From a larger perspective and from an organization standpoint he was the heart and soul of the Trappers from the first day that I arrived there until the last day he worked with the organization.
"No one cared more about the day-to-day operations or about the people that worked there, the people that came to see the games, the players, the umpires, everybody that had any connection to the Trappers.
"I don't think I'll ever meet anyone as dedicated to his job and the people he worked with as Dennis Henke."
'HE'LL BE MISSED'
The tributes weren't limited to those at Festival Place. Former Trappers pitching coach Pete Richert expressed deep regret at Henke's passing.
Richert, who now is retired, recalled how Henke made him feel welcome during the first of four seasons the Triple-A squad was affiliated with Oakland.
"The first year I was with the club in 1995, I had my in-season vacation coming and I took it with the all-star break," Richert recalled from his home in California.
"He told me all the places to go when we drove to Banff and Jasper. He went out of his way. In fact, he picked up a hotel room cost that we didn't even know about. He was a pretty special guy. He'll be missed."
