MADISON, Wis. — “(He had a) lifelong love of learning, lifelong love of music, but also lifelong love of the people around him.”
Laurie Fellenz’s words are just some of those used to describe Tom Heninger. The 71-year-old was killed in a bicycle versus vehicle crash last Thursday.
Calling Heninger’s dedication to Wisconsin music never-ending would be no understatement.
“He was on his way to our 2022 state Wisconsin Music Conference on Thursday morning. He had volunteered to work at our pre-registration,” Fellenz, the executive director of the Wisconsin School Music Association and Wisconsin Music Educators Association, said.
While biking to the conference, Heninger was hit by a car at the intersection of John Nolen and North Shore drives, and later died in the hospital.
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“[He] was always giving and so the morning that he passed he was again giving to the profession he loved,” Fellenz said.
She worked with Heninger, who served for decades as the adjudicator for the WSMA and historian on the WMEA board and council.
“Tom had a smile that could light up the entire room. When you talked to Tom, you felt like you were the most special person in his life,” Fellenz said. “But as we all know Tom was special in thousands of peoples’ lives.”
He was especially special in the lives of many young people.
For more than 35 years, Heninger was an instrumental music instructor in Watertown.
“We have many dedicated music educators in Wisconsin, but I believe many would tell you there was something extra special about Tom Heninger,” Fellenz said.
It was there he met Fort Atkinson band teacher Tom Cook.
“I know that his number one priority was always his students,” Cook said.
Years after their teaching jobs, Cook’s trombone and Heninger’s flugelhorn played side by side in the Madison Brass Band – the flugelhorn player taking on considerable pressure as a frequent soloist.
“He always played with a lot of emotion. I mean, that probably came through from his personality I think,” Cook said.
And that warm-hearted personality extended past the stage.
“When rehearsals were over and we would gather at whatever establishments afterward, he would be the first person to buy a pitcher of beer for the rest of the members,” Cook said.
When he heard the news of his friend and bandmate’s passing, Cook said “It was devastating.”
“You can’t just replace him and he will be missed. And there are other people but you don’t just replace somebody like that,” he said.
But Fellenz hopes Henninger’s memory will continue helping others – over the weekend, the Thomas H. Heninger Memorial Fund was established “to ensure that any programs in WSMA, WMEA, that the monies are used for, encourage equitable access to the programs but also a lifetime love, participation in the performing arts,” she said.
“He really believed in equity and access to music education and that sense of belonging in the music classroom, in the music ensemble, and in the music community,” Fellenz said.
The efforts aims to ensure that his impact, like his music, may never fade out.
“To the very end, Tom was dedicated to the profession he loved and the people he loved in it,” Fellenz said.
Heninger’s family released a statement to News 3 Now which reads:
“It cannot be overstated how much our family has been impacted by this terrible tragedy. However, the outpouring of love and support has truly been overwhelming. Hearing stories of the influence that our Tom had on the lives of others fills us with hope as we begin the long process of coming together and healing from the scars of this immeasurable loss. It remains our desire to see that no family has to suffer the excruciating agony from an incident such as this one.”
A celebration of life service will be held on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Turner Hall in Watertown.
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