For those who had the pleasure of knowing Thomas Eugene Hensler, Sr., their lives grew a little less fun and more dim on July 20, 2021, when Tom passed following a long illness, joining his beloved wife, Ginny, in heaven.
Tom loved making family, friends, and strangers alike laugh and smile. His twinkling eyes and sharp wit and laughter will be missed by his family and all who knew him. A union leader, a veteran, a father, a grandfather, a Sagamore of the Wabash, and a world class story-teller, Tom’s tall tales and antics were shared throughout his adopted state of Indiana and throughout much of the Midwest.
Tom, AKA Chicken Man, was born August 27, 1946, in East Saint Louis, Illinois, to Wilbur E. and Margaret (Jurashen) Hensler. Lucky in love, Tom married his high school sweetheart, Ginny, on November 25, 1964. Shortly after, Tom joined the U.S. Army where he was stationed throughout the USA and deployed to both South Korea and Vietnam.
For decades after leaving the army, Tom worked for the Southern Railway/ Norfolk Southern, mostly as an Engineer. Tom became active in the United Transportation Union in the 1980s, thriving on zealously representing his union brethren and fighting on their behalf. His role with the UTU led him to become a lobbyist, where he spent over twenty years lobbying for union members throughout Indiana. Blessed with the gift of gab, Tom excelled as a lobbyist and rose through the ranks, eventually becoming State Director for Indiana U.T.U. For several years, Tom worked in Indianapolis during the week, but always returned to Ginny and Pike County on the weekends.
Tom retired in August 2009, planning a long future of Florida beach time, casino trips, and traveling with Ginny, but it wasn’t meant to be as Ginny passed unexpectedly in 2010. While he remained a smidge lost without Ginny, Tom became active in the Pike County community. He was a proud and active member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 3587, serving several roles, including Quartermaster, Vice Commander, and eventually Commander. The role Tom relished the most, though, was serving as a member of the volunteer Honor Guard. In the Honor Guard, he traveled to several cemeteries for Memorial Day ceremonies and participated in both military honors and the final salute for veterans who had passed. Tom also volunteered for the American Cancer Society, driving cancer patients to chemotherapy and other treatments, and served on the Board of Directors for both the United Way and Paws, Inc., where he spent many hours of service.
Tom was preceded in death by his wife, Virginia (Davis) Hensler and his parents, Wilber E. Hensler, and Margaret J. (Jurashen) Hensler. He is survived by his grieving family: his children, Christine (Donald) Schumacher of Evansville, Indiana, Thomas E. (Amber) Hensler, Jr. of Petersburg, Indiana, and Pamela Hensler (Kyle Atkinson) of Bloomington; his four grandchildren: Britney and Zach Majors of Evansville, Indiana and Faryn and Myra Hensler of Petersburg; his three sisters, Terri (Joe) Otte of Jackson, Missouri, Rita (Steve) Pilgrim of Labadie, Missouri, Eveline Smith of O’Fallon, Illinois; and one brother, Edward J. (Julie) Hensler of Okawville, Illinois.
A public Memorial Celebration will occur on Saturday, August 7, 2021, between 12:00 p.m. and 3 p.m. at the 3587 Coleman Steward VFW Post located at 1202 E Main St in Petersburg, Indiana.
The family asks that donations be provided to Paws, Inc., in Tom’s memory, at 4224 North Meridian Road, Petersburg, Indiana 47567. In addition, the family encourages anyone who was blessed to know Tom or to have heard one of his stories to raise a toast to Tom, perhaps with his beloved Scotch and water, and celebrate a life well lived!
