Katherine Henebry

Katherine B. “Kay” Henebry, 97, of Faulkton, passed away Sunday, August 26, 2018 at the Faulkton Senior Living.

Funeral Mass was held at 1:00 p.m., Friday, August 31, 2018 at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Faulkton, with Father Christopher Hughes presiding. Burial followed at St. Thomas Catholic Cemetery, Faulkton. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service.

Katherine B. Bachmayer was born March 15, 1921 in Faulkton, SD to Jacob and Ida (Stoppleworth) Bachmayer. She attended Faulkton public school, graduating in 1939. She enrolled in Northern State Teachers College in Aberdeen, South Dakota and graduated with a two year teaching certificate in intermediate education. She taught band and fourth grade in Veblen, South Dakota for one year. After passing a Civil Service test, she was assigned to Washington D.C. with the Bureau of Ships where they were allotting radar to the different branches of the military for the war effort.

For several years, she worked for Moore Business Forms as a secretary and switchboard operator, and later worked as a supervisor of a stenographic pool at the Air Force Motion Picture service. At night, she also worked part time at a drugstore where she met her future husband, Hank Henebry. They were married in Oxen Hill, Maryland on August 2, 1972.

In 1951, she began working for the DC public school system as a secretary. While working there, Kay decided to return to school to pursue a Bachelors of Education degree at George Washington University. She graduated with honors in 1961. During this time, she continued working within the District’s City government and eventually advanced to a position working on Capitol Hill for the District’s Budget office. In 1967, Kay transferred to the Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs as a finance officer. She worked there until her retirement in 1977.

She and Hank visited Ireland, Great Britain, and Scotland and for several years they spent their winters in Florida and the rest of the year at their home in Temple Hills, Maryland. They began spending the summers in Vermont in a cabin on the shores of Lake Champlain in 1985. Those were great years that they remembered fondly.

Until 2005, they lived a quiet life in Temple Hills. After Hank had taken a fall and needed more care than Kay could provide, they moved to Faulkton in April of that year. Hank moved into the Faulkton Healthcare Center and Kay moved into the Meadows Assisted Living. Hank passed away after a short illness in 2007, and Kay eventually moved to the Faulkton Senior Living in 2016.

Kay was very skillful with handwork projects. She knitted many sweaters for Hank, made many gifts for nieces and nephews and embroidered beautiful quilts. Her counted cross stitch pictures decorated the walls of her home. She came from a musical family and was an excellent trombone player in high school and won many award in contests. She also went to the country schools to play for them and was a soloist at the dedication of the Aberdeen Civic Theater in 1939.

Kay is survived by her brother, Romauld Bachmayer, La Canada, California; a sister, Joyce Arneson, Faulkton and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Alfred “Hank” Henebry in 2007; sister, Alice Palmquist in 1984; brother, Karl Bachmayer in 2001; two sisters-in-law: Lee Bachmayer and Miriam Bachmayer; and two brothers-in-law: Reuben Arneson and Leonard Palmquist.

Luce Funeral Home of Faulkton has been entrusted with Kathrine’s arrangements.