Hank lived down the street from me since I was child until I started high school. We attended the same elementary school (that we walked to) so I knew him well in the 50s and 60s. He had type 1 diabetes his entire life and from that disease he also died. But that did not stop Hank from trying out all the other things the rest of us wanted to try as kids. He figured out a way to manage his disease but he was not (publicly) defined by it. I lost track of him after graduation only seeing him off and on over the years. Eventually, I was called to his bedside at the hospital where I had the privilege to say "goodbye" to my long time friend. Many of us attended his funeral in Pasadena which gave testimony to his fighting spirit and fun-loving character.
Henry (Hank) Kratzer
Hank lived down the street from me since I was child until I started high school. We attended the same elementary school (that we walked to) so I knew him well in the 50s and 60s. He had type 1 diabetes his entire life and from that disease he also died. But that did not stop Hank from trying out all the other things the rest of us wanted to try as kids. He figured out a way to manage his disease but he was not (publicly) defined by it. I lost track of him after graduation only seeing him off and on over the years. Eventually, I was called to his bedside at the hospital where I had the privilege to say "goodbye" to my long time friend. Many of us attended his funeral in Pasadena which gave testimony to his fighting spirit and fun-loving character.