Louie Hensen, 99, of Perry passed away Sunday, March 22, 2020, at the Perry Lutheran Home in Perry, Iowa.
Due to the current restrictions on gatherings, a private family graveside service will be held. A funeral mass will be held at a later date when the gathering restrictions are lifted. Carris Family Funeral Home and Cremation Care is assisting Louie’s family. Online condolences may be sent at www.carrisfuneralhome.com.
Louie was born Dec. 2, 1920, in Bouton, Iowa, and grew up on a farm.
He graduated Bouton High School during the great depression.
Louie worked as a farm hand and, on Saturdays, at the Perry Sales Pavilion, where he developed his passion for auctioneering.
Right before the war, he met the future love of his life, Doris Harris, but waited until after the war to marry her.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in August 1942. He flew as an air radio operator, delivering aircraft to the South Pacific. He flew 72 missions over the Burmese Mountains, for which he was awarded five Bronze Stars and six Air Medals with Oak Leaf Cluster.
After the war, in 1946 Louie married Doris.
They farmed for 21 years, and Louie went into the auction business. Louie and Doris bought the Perry Sales Pavilion in January of 1969, and operated it until his retirement in 1982. Louie was proud of his auctioneer career, the many friends he worked with and also proud to have served as an auctioneer at the International Livestock Exposition in Chicago.
Louie loved to hunt and fish and “prayed that he might live to fish until his dying day.” He also loved to golf at the Perry Golf and Country Club, where he installed several Blue birds’ birdhouses that can still be seen there today.
Louie was a devoted Catholic, volunteering at the St Patrick’s Catholic Church for many years, where he served as a trustee on countless boards. He managed the Catholic Cemetery in Perry for 21 years.
He was a longtime member of the American Legion, the Elks Lodge and Perry Golf and Country Club.
Louie was preceded in death by his wife, Doris; brothers, Ernest and Emery; and sister, Harriet.
He is survived by his sons, Ron Hensen from Phillips Ranch, California, and Curt Hensen from Port Isabel, Texas; five grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
We will miss you, Louie.
