A Wataga man referred to as a “selfless servant” with “a heart of gold” is being remembered for a lifetime of contributions to many Knox County organizations and communities.
Patrick E. “Pat” Hennenfent died March 9 while vacationing in Negril, Jamaica. He was 65.
Involved in agriculture since he was a child, Hennenfent was an active and key resource for numerous farmers and farming organizations, including Knox County Farm Bureau, Knox County Pork Producers, Knox County Corn Growers and Knox County Young Farmers. He also was a key figure in the Altona-Oneida-Wataga Service, the Oneida/Wataga and Henderson fire departments and Knox County Snowmobile Search and Rescue.
The list of organizations Hennenfent assisted is long and varied.
Obituary: Patrick Hennenfent: September 9, 1957 — March 9, 2023
“Pat was a friend to all,” said one of his best friends, Bill Stone of rural Galesburg. “Never scared to take on a challenge. He was a take-charge guy in whatever came up. He was like, ‘let’s get it done. Whatever it takes, let’s make it right.’
“If someone was in need, Pat was there. He’d drop whatever he was doing to help someone.”
The seventh of 10 children, Pat Hennenfent was born Sept. 9, 1957, in Galesburg to Leo A. Hennenfent and Shirley Hennenfent. He graduated from Galesburg High School in 1975. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Kimberly S. (Smith) Hennenfent; sons Phillip, Scott and David Hennenfent; eight siblings; two grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
Faith, family, community and farming
His obituary says “Faith, Family, Community, and Farming were the bases for which Pat lived his life.”
Hennenfent was a longtime board member of the Knox County Farm Bureau.
“Pat was truly a selfless servant — certainly for the farm bureau and farming community, but for the entire community,” said Drew DeSutter, who farms south of Woodhull and serves as president of Knox County Farm Bureau. “He was always friendly. Always so full of energy. He brought that passion to everything he did.
“Pat was a great leader for so many organizations. If you needed help with something, he was going to show up and do it. He paved the way for a lot of leaders.”
Stone first met Hennenfent through 4-H when both were teenagers. They later reconnected and were best of friends for 40 years.
Between their friendship and serving on numerous boards, committees and projects together, Stone said he and Hennenfent interacted on a near daily basis.
Asked if could share a funny story or two about his friend, Stone said with loud laughter, “Funny stories? How many days do you have? The kids asked if I would say something at his funeral, and I said, ‘How could I narrow it down?’ There are so many stories I could tell about Pat.
“He was the best fishing partner you could ever ask for. He was so hilarious. We were constantly laughing — I missed more damn fish because I was laughing at Pat. It was like going to a comedy club.”
‘He had a heart of gold’
Sally Keener of Altona, director of A.O.W. Ambulance Service, knew Hennenfent for 30 years, dating back to when their sons played baseball against each other as youths. She called Hennenfent her “right hand man” the past 15 years when both played key roles for the ambulance service.
“I could call him anytime, day or night, and no matter what he was doing, he would be right there,” she said.
Keener said Hennenfent had a knack for treating people the way he wanted to be treated.
“He had a heart of gold, but he was also ornery,” she said with a laugh. “If the dimples came out, you knew there was something to follow.”
Both Keener and DeSutter pointed to Hennenfent’s dedication to the Knox County Farm Safety Camp for Kids.
“Knox County has always had an strong young farmer program, and lot of that has to do with the leadership of people like Pat,” DeSutter said.
Keener added, “He loved that safety camp. It was a passion for him. It was a lot of hard work, but put his all into it. And it reached a lot of kids who grew up and would return to help to put the safety camp on.”
‘Can’t think of anyone who’s done more for the community’
Stone, DeSutter and Keener all agreed that Hennenfent was one of a kind.
“There’s going to be many shoes to fill in the community,” Stone said. “There’s going to be a lot of empty seats around board tables that he sat on. I can’t think of anyone who’s done more for the community than Pat Hennenfent.”
Keener said, “He did so much, but he did everything well. Pardon the expression, but he didn’t half-ass anything. If he was going to do something, he put his heart and soul into it.
“Pat was a Mr. Fix-it, Mr. Do-it-all. There’s no one person who could replace everything he was able to do.”
Affectionately referred to as “Papa Pat,” Hennenfent served as president of Wataga Baseball Association for 11 years, as well as a coach for Wataga and Post 727 Baseball. He also enjoyed putting on Kiddie tractor pulls known as Pat’s Pedal Power Pullers all over West Central Illinois.
According to his obituary, some of his many hobbies included St. Louis Cardinals baseball games, hunting with family, snowmobile trips and fishing expeditions with some of his dearest friends.
“One thing we can take solace in is Pat truly lived life the right way,” DeSutter said. “He lived to serve others, and that’s why everyone is so saddened by this loss.”
When asked what life will be like without his best friend, Stone choked up and said, “There’s going to be a big hole in my heart. He was like a brother.”
Visitation for Pat Hennenfent will be from 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday, March 26 at The Oaks Community Church, Dahinda. Funeral Service will be at 10 a.m. Monday, March 27 at the Oaks Community Church, Dahinda, with burial to follow at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Galesburg.
A celebration of life will be 1 to 6 p.m. on Monday, March 27 at The Vault, 185 S. Kellogg, Galesburg. Hurd-Hendricks Funeral Homes & Crematory in charge of arrangements.
