Charles E. Henke

Charles E. Henke, 72, of Bern Township, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, January 4, 2025, surrounded by his loving family. Charlie was born January 25, 1952 in Frankfurt, Germany to Edward and Erna (Hackert) Henke. Born into the Henke family of accomplished musicians, Charlie quickly mastered the organ, piano, and guitar and was quick to learn any instrument he tried. Over the years Charlie played in bands in the Reading area and enjoyed rocking out to the Beatles and classic rock on his various guitars. Charlie also shared a lifelong fascination and love of trains with his father. He enjoyed train travel, regularly taking excursion trains to Jim Thorpe and other destinations, and had an encyclopedic memory of Reading-area railroad infrastructure and Reading Railroad rolling stock. Charlie passed along his love of trains to his daughters and grandchildren. 

 Charlie graduated from Holy Name High School in 1969 and began a long career in the roofing industry. He was very proud of his work as a roofer and later as a roofing executive, pointing out the buildings on which he and his team had worked until his daughters knew them by heart. On several occasions, Charlie was named Tradesman of the Year by his industry peers. Charlie served his community for many years as a volunteer firefighter with the Greenfields Fire Company, including a decade as Chief. During his tenure as Chief, Charlie oversaw the construction of the current Greenfields Fire Station at 2339 Bernville Road and the acquisition of new apparatus. Charlie’s long dedication to public safety included several years as campus security site manager at Kutztown University. 

 In 1975, Charlie married the love of his life, Sharon (Miller), with whom he shared more than 49 loving, dedicated, and fun-filled years of marriage. Theirs was a relationship of constant action, whether tending to their beautiful yard, gardens, and swimming pool, or traveling with friends and family, or taking on a new hobby, or going to concerts. Charlie was very proud to have attended the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival in 1969 and its 50th anniversary weekend in 2019; he and Sharon attended more than 100 concerts together. In recent years, Charlie served as Vice President of the Friends of Epler’s One-Room Schoolhouse; he and Sharon played an integral role in the relocation and preservation of this treasured historical resource. 

 First and foremost, however, Charlie adored his family and loved being a dad to his daughters and Papa to his five grandchildren. His sense of humor and comedic timing brought smiles to everyone around him and kept his friends and family engulfed in laughter right up to his final days. Charlie is survived by his wife Sharon, his daughters Alicia Rowe (wife of Scott) of Washington, DC and Allison Bossler (wife of Nicholas) of Bern Township, and his grandchildren MacKenzie, Alexander, Sierra, Cole, and Drew. 

 A Celebration of Life will be held on Monday, January 13, 2025, at 12:00 pm at Bean Funeral Home, 1605 Rockland Street, Reading. The family will receive friends and relatives on Monday, January 13, 2025, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at Bean Funeral Home, Reading. Interment will follow the service at Fleetwood Cemetery in Fleetwood. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in honor of Mr. Charles E. Henke to Epler’s One-Room Schoolhouse, P.O. Box 553, Leesport, PA 19533. Bean Funeral Home, Reading, is in charge of arrangements and online condolences may be made at www.beanfuneralhomes.com.