Joseph Ross Henri

Jul 28, 1933 -

Apr 23, 2025

Joseph Ross Henri passed away on Apr. 23, 2025. Born in Utica, N.Y., to Chester and Carrie Henri, Joe first ventured to Alaska in the 1950s to teach at a mission school in Skagway. He later served honorably in the Army Intelligence Corps at Fort Richardson. After his military service, Joe attended Georgetown Law School, where he met his wife, Aletha, and Senator Ernest Gruening, who became a lifelong mentor.

Joe and Aletha married in 1962, with Senator Gruening giving Aletha away at the altar. They traveled Alaska campaigning for Gruening before settling in Fairbanks, where Joe served as a magistrate. Following the 1964 earthquake, the family moved to Juneau, where Joe practiced law and served as City Attorney and later Commissioner of Administration in the Egan Administration.

In 1978, they moved to Anchorage, where Joe built a family home in the Chugach foothills, a place dear to his heart. Joe later pursued entrepreneurial ventures, including a timber company, a brewery, a server farm, and worked toward a transnational railroad linking Alaska and Siberia.

An advocate for education, Joe served as a University of Alaska Regent and was a passionate reader with a vast personal library. His love for Alaska was profound and enduring.

Joe is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Aletha; sons, Joe, Will, and Steve; daughter, Carolyn; daughters-in-law, Lorna and Tracey; son-in-law, Ron; and six grandchildren. Special thanks to Nancy McLaren, who worked and cared for Joe for over 26 years and was with him at his passing.

A memorial service will tentatively be held at Janssen's Evergreen Memorial Chapel in Anchorage at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 2, 2025. Donations in Joe's honor may be made to Hope Community Resources at hopealaska.org/donate. See janssenfuneralhomes.com for full obituary and to confirm location of service.