Henry Theodore Ratenski

        Henry was born on September 9, 1924, in Michigan City, Indiana. His parents, Ignatius and Valerie, came to America from Poland. They became members of St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Michigan City.  Henry attended St. Stanislaus Catholic School along with his older sister Stephanie and his brother Edward. From an early age Henry was hardworking and helpful to those around him. If there was something to get done, Henry liked to volunteer for it, and soon everyone relied on him for many tasks. Socially, he was a “people person” who enjoyed his family, making friends, and getting to know others in the community. For fun, he liked playing basketball and football in the sand hills with his buddies.

       Henry also excelled academically in his studies. For his eighth grade graduation in 1939, he was the Valedictorian of his class and gave his address in Polish. Henry then attended St. Mary’s Catholic High School in Michigan City. He was president of his class and the editor and photographer of the school newspaper. Once again, Henry was at the top of his class in grades. On June 10, 1943, he graduated as Valedictorian of his high school class and gave his speech at the commencement ceremony.

        Henry’s parents owned two neighborhood grocery stores during his childhood. The first store was located in Michigan City on Highway 12 from Chicago. When Henry was three years old, his parents moved their business to Ohio Street in the same city. His father became ill and died when Henry was only eight years old. His older sister Stephanie ran the store for about twenty more years. Henry helped his sister by making deliveries on his bike to their customers, even though he was only in grade school. Their grocery store had some of the best Polish food in town. Henry’s mother Valerie remarried when he was twelve years old. After a couple of years, Henry welcomed his new baby brother Teddy. Henry’s step-father Steve was a carpenter and taught him many skills of the trade. He would help Steve at some of his job sites, which included running a concrete machine while shoveling gravel into the mixer. 

        Motivated by his faith in Christ and wanting to serve, Henry offered much of his time in grade school and high school as the senior acolyte and usher for Mass at church. He recalls that the Sisters of Notre Dame, who taught at his school, were in charge of decorating the church for special occasions. They depended on Henry to do some of the tasks that were hard for them like climbing high on a ladder to the top of the altar to hang lights and decorations. He helped with cleaning and placing ornamental items around the sanctuary. Henry would even be called at five o’clock in the morning to assist the pastor for special services. He was the one asked to serve when the bishop came to his parish. Family and friends thought that Henry would surely join the priesthood after high school, however, his calling was interrupted by World War II. Please note that Henry did stay close to his church after the war by serving as an usher/hospitality minister for a total of seventy-four years at three different churches.

        On June 30, 1943, Henry was inducted into the Army as an Aviation Cadet. He reported to the Army Air Force Basic Training Center in Miami Beach, Florida, on July 20. Henry then went to Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, as a Pre-cadet Aviation Student in September. After reporting to the Santa Ana Army Air Base Center for cadet testing, classification, and training in January of 1944, he qualified to attend aerial navigation cadet school. Henry attended aerial gunnery school using B-17 bombers at Kingman Army Air Field in Arizona, graduating on June 17, 1944. He then went to San Marcos Army Air Force Navigation School, graduating on October 20, 1944, and receiving Air Crew Navigator Wings. The next day, Henry was appointed 2nd Lieutenant-Air Crew of the Army of the United States. In November of 1944, he trained for operation of the APQ-13 Navigation and Bombing System at Boca Raton Army Air Field Radar School in Florida. Henry received further instruction in January of 1945 to operate a new secret radar precision bombing and navigation system called the Eagle APQ-7. He completed this class on January 26, 1945. Because this was the newest top secret technology of the time, Henry felt honored to be one of the first cadets to attend the new class covering this system. In February of the same year, he reported to the 16th Bomb Group, 315th Bomb Wing, in Fairmount, Nebraska, and then immediately traveled in a B-17 to Borinquen Army Air Field in Puerto Rico. In March 1945, Henry attended advanced training on the new Eagle APQ-7 Radar System using B-24 Bombers at Victorville Army Air Field in California. In May of 1945, Henry’s entire crew flew to Herington Army Air Field in Kansas. His crew was assigned a brand new B-29B bomber equipped with the new top secret Eagle APQ-7 Radar System. This was the first time they saw the new type of B-29 with the new APQ-7 radar equipment.

        On May 19, 1945, Henry received orders for overseas deployment. He flew to Mather Army Air Field in California as a point of embarkation with an additional stopover in Honolulu, Hawaii, and then a stopover on Kwajalein Island. Upon Henry’s arrival at Northwest Field in Guam on June 6, 1945, his air crew practiced bombing flights with the new Eagle APQ-7 Radar System over the Island of Rota, a bypassed island just north of Guam. They had an orientation combat mission over the Island of Truk, a bypassed island under military control of the Japanese. On June 26, 1945, Henry flew his first combat mission over Japan as the Radar Bombing and Navigation Officer. The 315th B-29 Superfortress Bomb Wing, which was part of the 20th Air Force commanded by General Curtis E. LeMay, flew its missions only at night using special built model B-29B airplanes equipped with the new top secret AN/APQ-7 precision radar bombing system. Henry’s 15th combat mission on the night of August 14-15, 1945, was the final and longest nonstop strategic bombing operation known as “The Last Mission” of World War II that lasted 18 hours and covered 3,800 miles. It occurred several days after the atomic bomb strikes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. President Truman announced the Japanese surrender while the 315th Bomb Wing was still in the air returning to its airbase on Guam. The purpose of these bombing runs in the last days of the war was to ensure that the Japanese surrendered by destroying the remaining oil refineries in northern Japan. It also was to ensure that the Soviet Union would not expand its occupation further south into Japan. There is reason to believe that  “The Last Mission” created a blackout situation over Tokyo which stopped a coup d’etat by the Japanese military to keep the Emperor of Japan from surrendering.

        Henry was honorably discharged from active duty in May of 1946.  He continued serving in the Air Force Reserve and transferred to retired status in 1972. In military retirement with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, he did administrative duties until 1984 at the age of sixty. Besides World War II, Henry was also credited with the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

        Henry liked to keep in contact with his Air Force buddies from his unit, the 315th B-29 Superfortress Bomb Wing. On an annual basis, Henry, his wife Irene, and daughter Kathryn attended Air Force reunions in various cities across the country.  They heard speeches from military heroes and had the opportunity to meet Paul W. Tibbets who piloted the B-29 Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. They also met Fred J. Olivi, the co-pilot on the B-29 that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, and Ray “Hap” Halloran whose B-29 bomber was shot down over Tokyo in January of 1945.  At one of the reunions, Henry met Jim B. Smith who is the author of the book, The Last Mission: The Secret History of World War II’s Final Battle (co-author Malcolm McConnell). It was also the subject of a History Channel television special. Henry and Jim quickly became friends because of their mutual experience of being a part of the last mission combat operations on the B-29 bombers over Japan.

        Henry was interested in teaching future generations about World War II. He instructed the seventh grade students at Templeton Middle School in Sussex for many years about World War II and his experience in “The Last Mission” of the war. As an added bonus, Henry and his wife Irene demonstrated how to dance the swing which was popular during the war, and then taught the students individually how to swing to the music. Henry also enjoyed being invited to St. John’s Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin, for their special military events. He gave many presentations about the war and last mission to area schools, libraries, military groups, and various clubs. Henry appeared in an interview about the last mission of World War II on the television special Mettle And Honor: The Greatest Generation. He also took part in other interviews, parades, and military activities. Henry liked to tell his audiences that he still fits into his World War II military uniform after all these years. Henry did participate in an Honor Flight which was a very memorable, heartwarming, and special experience for him.

        After the war, Henry returned home to Michigan City and met Irene Jankowski. The story has it that Irene accidentally spilled a drink on Henry’s suit at a wedding. Several weeks later, Henry asked Irene to go out with him on a date. They were married on August 16, 1947, at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Michigan City, a place familiar to both of them since childhood. Henry was attending the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, at the time. On November 7, 1949, they had their first child Charlene (Charlie) at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Michigan City. Charlene had the biggest brown eyes, a bald head, and rarely slept.  She kept them on their toes. 

        A year later, the family moved to South Bend where Henry had a part-time job with the accounting firm of Lewis E. Thomas CPA while finishing his degree at the University of Notre Dame. Henry served as an usher at Holy Cross Catholic Church in South Bend for the next eighteen years. Henry graduated from the University of Notre Dame magna cum laude in 1950, earning a degree in Accounting and Business Administration. After graduation, Henry worked ten years in accounting for Davis Products in Niles, Michigan, holding the positions of Controller, Corporate Secretary, and Director. Exactly eleven months after the birth of their first child, Mary Kathryn was born on October 7, 1950, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in South Bend. If Henry and Irene had waited several minutes longer to go to the hospital, they would have been caught in the Notre Dame football game traffic. Mary Kathryn came quickly, so they were lucky to escape the traffic and get to the hospital on time. Mary Kathryn had lots of pretty dark brown hair and slept most of the time. Seven years later, Tom was born on June 3, 1957, at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Tom was a large baby, over nine pounds, so Henry was ready to sign him up for the Notre Dame football team. 

        In 1960, Henry secured a position with the Studebaker Corporation in South Bend to administer and coordinate all accounting matters related to its diversification and acquisition program. In 1962, he was named Manager of Accounting and organized its first Corporate Accounting Department under its corporate restructuring program. Then, in November of 1967, after the merger of the Studebaker, Wagner & Worthington corporations, Henry was invited to join the Vice President and Controller’s Corporate staff of the newly formed Studebaker-Worthington, Inc. with offices in New York City.  He worked in New York City until June of 1968 commuting home to South Bend intermittently on weekends.

        Living in South Bend for eighteen years meant that the Ratenski family was only an hour away from both Irene and Henry’s family in Michigan City. They traveled there often to celebrate holidays, birthdays, baptisms, graduations, and Polish weddings with their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews.  Everyone enjoyed the traditional Polish foods like pierogi, golabki (cabbage rolls), czarnina (soup), sauerkraut, potato kluski (dumplings), mushrooms, chroszczki (pastry bowties), and kielbasa (sausage). On Christmas Eve, they shared oplatki (wafers)  and wished good tidings to each other for the next year. Thanksgiving Day was celebrated at home. While Irene made the turkey dinner, Henry took out the old wire recorder every year, asked the kids questions, and had them sing a song on what he named “Henry’s Amateur Hour.”  Not long after the family moved to South Bend, Henry’s mother Valerie, step-father Steve, his sister Stephanie’s family, and two brothers moved to South Bend.  

        In 1968, the Ratenski family moved to Brookfield, Wisconsin, where Henry was hired to be the head of the corporate financial division with Applied Power Industries. The family attended St. John Vianney Catholic Church where Henry continued to serve as an usher for the next fifty-two years. In 1976, Henry became a grandfather when Michael was born to his daughter Charlene and her husband Jim. Then in 1979, he became a grandparent again when they had a second son Paul. Henry retired from Applied Power in 1987 after nineteen years of service, but worked part-time as a consultant for an investment firm until 2005. Later, Henry became a great-grandfather when Emrianna was born in 2008, and again when Daxon was born in 2012, both children of his grandson Michael and his wife Debra.

        Henry and Irene developed an interest in ballroom dancing in the 1960’s. They started the Guys and Dolls Dance Club in South Bend, Indiana. When Henry and Irene moved to Brookfield, Wisconsin, they began the Dancers Circle Club in 1972. Henry served as the first president of the club for many years. For forty-four years, they enjoyed all aspects of ballroom dancing and became well-known members of the Milwaukee ballroom dance community. Both Henry and Irene complemented each other on the dance floor. Henry’s attention to the details of tempo and technique embraced Irene’s naturally strong rhythm and passion for dancing.  Together they danced beautifully.

        Henry and Irene sponsored the finest American and Latin ballroom dance music played in strict tempo at Marcheses Danceland for thirty-two years. When they first started their dances, it was the tradition for ballroom dancers to have a live orchestra playing the music. However, Henry was the first in this area to develop a selection of popular, “easy to dance to” strict tempo music on tapes for his dances which attracted the dancers from various studios and clubs. Although using tapes for ballroom dancing at that time was considered the new “in thing,” today it has become common practice. Henry’s family called him “The Dick Clark of Ballroom Dancing.”

        Henry and Irene participated in dance competitions receiving several awards, played for weddings and special events, promoted all the studios and dance clubs, and performed in dance exhibitions. They received lifetime membership awards from two Milwaukee ballroom dance clubs, the Dancers Circle and the Latin Ballroom Dance Club, for their service and support to the ballroom dance community. Most importantly, though, they made lasting friendships over their years of dancing. 

        On Henry and Irene’s fortieth and fiftieth wedding anniversaries, their theme was “Together Forever.”  They renewed their wedding vows at St. John Vianney Catholic Church and celebrated these milestones with a reception and dancing for their family and friends at Marcheses Danceland.  In 2004, Henry and Irene decided to slowly “fade away,” leaving their dances to the younger generation, and in September of that year had their last official dance at Marcheses.

        On July 2, 2005, the Lord decided He wanted Irene in His loving arms. After surgery and treatments for a brain tumor, she courageously faced her illness for six months with Henry at her side. The Lord knew that Henry was looking forward to seeing Irene again in heaven someday, after all, she was the love of his life. He missed her dearly, but he continued his life with dancing, being an usher at church, giving his military presentations, attending Air Force reunions, and telling everyone he met about the “Last Mission” of World War II. He liked celebrating holidays with his family and socializing with his many wonderful friends. It was a challenge to cook and open the enormous amount of mail that he received every day because he was involved in so many activities. Irene had always made healthy meals and did the clerical work. Henry claimed that he was on every mailing list that existed.

        In June of 2021, Henry moved to Lakewood, an exceptional assisted living residence focusing on memory care. His men friends called him “The Colonel”. He liked dressing in his special military attire for patriotic days and talking about WWII. Henry could be described as a real “gentleman”. He wore a suitcoat, dress shirt, and tie most days, and Henry had fun dancing with the ladies. He passed away peacefully at Lakewood. It was 19 years since Irene passed away, but the waiting to see her again was over because on March 5, 2024 at the age of 99, the Lord decided that He wanted Henry to be with Him also. Right now, Henry and Irene are happily “Together Forever” in heaven with God by their side. Our family thanks the teams at Lakewood and Brighton Hospice for their loving support, compassion, and care for Henry.

        Henry led an interesting and active life. Henry loved people, was strong in his Christian faith, showed kindness to others, had a great sense of humor, a warm friendly smile, and demonstrated courage and being helpful. Once in an emergency situation, he saved the life of his neighbor who was pinned under a car when the jack broke. Henry rushed to get his own jack, lifted the car, and freed his friend next door.

        He was quick to get involved in challenging activities, and strived to be the best that he could be in all his endeavors. Henry had a smart, inventive, detailed, organized, and logical mind. He loved music, dancing, the military, his church, and had a natural talent for leadership. Henry loved his family and would come home from work every day with a big, warm, friendly smile that would melt your heart. He had a positive “can do” attitude, was a very loving husband and father, and his children while growing up enjoyed sitting around the kitchen table discussing life with him because they thought he was the wisest person in the world.   

        Visitation will be at 4:00 PM on Friday, March 15th with a Prayer Service and Time of Sharing at 6:00 PM at the Becker Ritter Funeral Home.  The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 AM on Saturday at St. John Vianney Church, 1755 N. Calhoun Rd., Brookfield, followed by a Committal Service with military honors at Wisconsin Memorial Park.  In loving memory of Henry, memorials may be made to Lakewood Memory Care.                              

Those who knew Henry will miss him deeply