Professor Eugene Walter Henry

Eugene Walter Henry passed away peacefully on May 21, 2025 at Holy Cross Village, Notre Dame, IN at the age of 92.

Born on December 31, 1932 in Wichita Falls, TX, Gene was the son of Dale M. Henry and Ruth Nemacheck Henry, who met as students at Northwestern University. He is now reunited with his parents, his brother William T. Henry and nephews Aaron Henry, Vincent Henry, and Allan Wolowsky.

As a pre-teen living in Arlington, VA, he took apart and reassembled the radios and clocks in his home, which led to a side hustle of repairing electronics for his neighbors.

This interest led him to the University of Notre Dame for studies in Electrical Engineering (B.S. 1954, M.S. 1955), where he also participated in the Air Force ROTC program (and later reached the rank of Colonel).

After his freshman year at Notre Dame, Gene met Alice May Wolowsky in Arlington. He later proposed at the Grotto at Notre Dame, and they were married on Easter Sunday, April 10, 1955 in San Diego, CA.

He then spent two years on active duty at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH before moving to California where he earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University.

In 1960 Gene joined the faculty at Notre Dame in the College of Engineering where he taught for 42 years, first in Electrical Engineering and ultimately in the College of Computer Science and Engineering which he helped develop.

Gene was the consummate handyman. He tackled anything that needed fixing, from the kitchen to the car. He also had a passion for travel, art, theater and music.

Gene played trombone throughout his life, from the St. John’s College High School Marching Band (Washington, DC) performing in the parade for President Truman’s inauguration in 1949, to his last concert with the Notre Dame University Band in 2024 at the age of 91.  As a student he played in the Notre Dame Marching and Concert Bands, and over the subsequent decades played in multiple community ensembles.

In addition to his loving wife Alice, with whom he recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary, he is survived by six children and their spouses, and thirteen grandchildren: Rebecca Henry Schwarzwalder (Monte) – Anne, Theresa Kaminski (Jeffrey); Theron Joseph (Julie) – Sarah Ullrich (Daniel) {Alyse, Giovanni, Isaiah}, Jacob, Elizabeth King (Tyler), Benjamin “Jammin” (Shelby Kate) {Luca}; Ruth Henry Geissler (Mark) – Rachel (Evans Lodge) {Naomi, Owen}, Aidan, Caleb; Walter Dale (Amy) - Nathaniel, Dominic; Stephen Delos (Melinda) – Sophia, Charles “Mack”; Carl Benson (Sivilay). They are additionally blessed with six great-grandchildren: Alyse, Giovanni, Isaiah, Naomi, Owen and Luca.

A Mass of the Resurrection at St. Joseph’s Chapel at Holy Cross College, followed by burial with military honors at Cedar Grove Cemetery, was held on May 23rd.

Memorial contributions may be made to the South Bend Symphony or the South Bend Civic Theater.

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