Henry P Trinkes

Henry P. Trinkes, 67, passed away peacefully on April 7, 2014. He was surrounded by his loving family at his home in Springfield, Virginia. In January of this year, he was diagnosed with a rare form of bile duct cancer (cholangeocarcinoma). Henry was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and grew up on the family farm on St. Joseph Ridge. He attended St. Joseph Ridge Catholic School, followed by Holy Cross Seminary in La Crosse for high school and college. In 1968, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. He received a Masters of Science in Technology of Management in 1979 from American University in Washington D.C. In his early twenties he survived a bout of Hodgkins' lymphoma, and the experience gave him an appreciation and a love for life.

After serving two years in the Army including one year in Vietnam, he left the military to search for work in the technology field. His search lead him to a job as a programmer for the Department of Defense in the Washington D.C. area. Although he thought at the time he'd be in D.C. for just a couple of years, those 'couple of years' turned into a long and distinguished career. As a civil servant with the federal government, he worked for the Department Logistics Agency (DLA), Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and Joint Electronic Commerce Program Office (JECPO), before he retired in 2003.

His retirement lasted for two years before he went back to work, this time in the private sector as a contractor with Salient Federal Solutions, until the present time. He volunteered for ECHO (Ecumenical Community Helping Others) for many years and found it a very rewarding experience. He was also a member of the American Legion and Knights of Columbus. After living in Northern Virginia for most of his adult life, he remained a Green Bay Packer fan. He was an excellent wood worker, gardener, and became a pretty good cook as well. He was a wonderful man patient, kind, humble and so considerate of others. He was the epitome of many values that seem so rare today.

As a single parent he proudly raised two sons, Justin and Stephen. In 1990, he met Pat Sykes, the love of his life, and they were married 10 years later in Springfield, Virginia. Pat was also raised on a dairy farm in Madison, Wisconsin strange how two farm kids from Wisconsin met in a church in Arlington, Virginia and developed a relationship that was second-to-none. Henry and Pat loved to travel and explore new places, especially if the mode of transportation was a cruise ship.

In addition to his sons, Justin (Nancy) and Stephen (Audrey) he is survived by two stepchildren, Tracy Calizon (Bobby) and Matthew Sykes. He was a wonderful and adored Grandpa to Ellie, Tyson and Erwin. He is survived by his brother, Marvin Trinkes, and his sister, Rose Brown, both of La Crosse. He was preceded in death by his parents, Hilary and Irene Trinkes and his sister, Margaret Trinkes, all of La Crosse.

A visitation and memorial service was held in Alexandria, Virginia on April 10, 2014. A Mass of Christian burial will be held at 11:00 AM, Saturday, April 12, 2014, at St. Joseph's Ridge Parish, La Crosse, Wisconsin. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Military rites will be provided by the Coon Valley VFW post. Friends and family may call Saturday morning from 9:30 AM until the beginning of Mass. The Schumacher-Kish Funeral and Cremation Services in La Crosse is in charge of the arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (

www.stjude.org

.) and Wounded Warriors Project (www.woundedwarriorsproject.org

.)