LOST ANOTHER FRIEND
On June 14, 2006, A.A. lost another friend and trusted servant with the passing of Henry “Hank” Whitmer. He died Wednesday evening at Regency Place, in Fort Wayne.
Hank was a Leo, IN resident born June 4, 1922, in Allen County; and was the son of the late Menno and Linda S. (Delagrange) Whitmer. Hank married Edna Mae Gerig on March 27, 1947, in Allen County.
Edna preceded Hank in death on July 1, 2006.
Hank was a carpenter who worked with Joe Lengacher Construction. He owned, lived on and worked a small farm near Leo.
Annually, Hank and Edna invited A.A. people from the Tri-State area to their farm on Slaughter Road for stone soup; a tradition that will be sorely missed.
When Barleycorn first came to the A.A. program, Hank and Edna were two regulars at Ed Kennedy’s Monday night Nut-Ward group. Edna ran the Alanon meeting for the family of Alcoholics, and Hank attended Ed’s meetings.
Because of their extreme humility nobody knows exactly how many people they helped, but Barleycorn was one of them.
Edna once said, “It takes two for an argument and you are the one who should be removed from it.” Hank said, “You can mean what you say, but you don’t have to say it mean!”
I seldom went anywhere in the Tri-State area without somebody asking, “Do you know Hank and Edna?” Followed by, “How are they doing?”
Hank and Edna were two of the greatest people I ever met; they will be sorely missed.
Hank was the first person Ed Kennedy sponsored and Ed once made the mistake of telling Hank, “If you want to stay sober, you must read the book, Alcoholics Anonymous. Hank swore, “It will be a cold day in hell before I read that book!” And, the last time I spoke with Hank he said, “By golly, I never did read that book!”
Hank’s stubborn nature is typical of most alcoholics and so it was from him and Ed that I learned, “Never order an alcoholic to do anything,” suggestions sometimes work, but direct orders seldom do. Furthermore, such orders are forbidden by A.A.’s second tradition: “For our group purpose there is, but one ultimate authority—a loving God as He may express himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.”
Hank has joined Edna and several others from that old Monday night group and, I can almost hear the laughter coming from, Ernie Washington, Ticket George, Herb Branning, Paul Tiller, Sherman Treach, Betty Grotness, Edna and now Hank.
God Bless that wonderful group of drunks, they saved the lives of countless alcoholics including those who’ve not yet attended their first A.A. meeting.
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