Hank (Henry) Ingham passed away on June 26 in Eureka, Calif., surrounded by his loving family. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Cheryl, his daughter Michelle, son Kyle, and 4 grandchildren, along with his siblings Tex (Harvey IV), Stephanie, and Donald. Hank’s father and mother, Harvey III and Jean Ingham, were longtime Eureka residents.
Hank was born in Minnesota. At an early age, he drew cartoon pictures to amuse his friends and brothers. His talent for art and his quick sense of humor continued throughout his life. In high school in Pennsylvania, he studied Latin and the classics. Hank was a walking encyclopedia; he knew the definitions of every word and would cite derivations. He was the best partner to have in Trivial Pursuit, knowing the most obscure facts in every subject, and the most formidable opponent in Scrabble, always winning.
Hank attended Bucknell University, earning a BS in Business Administration. Upon graduation, he was drafted into the Army where he served as a radio communications specialist, stationed in Germany. He enjoyed leaving the Army base and found local beer halls a great place to learn German. After receiving an honorable discharge, Hank enrolled in the Peace Corps and served two years in Iran working in tourist development. The Peace Corps required intensive training in Farsi, another language he quickly picked up. He was proud of his time living in the heart of the ancient civilization and loved the Persian food.
When he returned to the U.S., he settled in the San Francisco Bay Area and applied his international experience as manager of Pier One Imports in Berkeley. The birth of his son Kyle motivated him to leave the urban setting and move to Humboldt County.
He soon started what became his lifelong career at KIEM-TV. His first job there was making TV commercials for local businesses. His clever scripting, artwork and distinctive voice were always attention getting. During these years Hank also took classes at Humboldt State University and earned a second degree in Art. He became a member of the Ink People where he learned the art of print-making, and gained the attention of the local press with his tongue-in-cheek exhibit “The Death of Santa.”
He continued to work at KIEM and in 1983 began a collaboration with an administrator for the County Office of Education to produce two television series, What Did You Do in School Today? and Not Just For Kids. His persistent focus on turning educational concepts into words the viewing public could understand garnered state and national public relations awards for the programs. The hours they spent editing the monthly episodes that aired on KIEM built a level of trust and respect between Hank and the show’s co-producer. That deepened, and in 1985 he married that partner, Cheryl, and embraced her daughter Michelle as his own.
Hank played the guitar, the piano and basketball. He loved basketball and played in all the local “over” leagues, Over 30, Over 40, Over 50. He became more active in the local community when he was promoted to General Sales Manager at KIEM. He was a member of Rotary International, a Paul Harris Fellow and served as President of the Eureka Rotary Club in 1998-99. He livened the weekly meetings with his quick banter and clever humor. Hank was kind-hearted to the core. After publicly fining members, each received a hand-written note expressing his personal appreciation and acknowledging their contribution to the club’s good causes. Hank loved dogs, his own and anyone else’s, and served on the Board of the Sequoia Humane Society for a number of years.
In his personal time, travel was a priority. He and Cheryl explored Italy, France, Mexico, Great Britain, Virgin Gorda, Bora Bora, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Canada and took many trips throughout the U.S. Their travel priorities later shifted to Lake Tahoe with the marriage of their daughter Michelle to John Gurner and the birth of two grandchildren, Claire and Cameron. A decade later they added a stop in San Rafael to their travel itinerary when Kyle and his wife Tiffani expanded the Ingham clan with two more grandchildren, Gavin and Dylan.
In 2007 Hank was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. He faced the debilitating disease head-on. Hank was a fighter. He was committed to a rigorous exercise regimen, which included Rock Steady Boxing, to slow down the symptoms of PD. In addition to the workouts, he joined the local Parkinson’s support group and became close friends with others who had PD.
Throughout the years, Hank was known for both his humor and his artistic talent, In the early 1980s, well before the current popularity of memes, Hank was adding his own witty captions to the TV press release photos he posted in the studio to amuse his co-workers. He liked making people laugh. He participated in the Humboldt County Pun-off, and recorded dozens of funny messages on his answering machine. Friends who called often secretly hoped he might not answer so they could listen to the latest message. H
is artistic talent was expressed in many different mediums. In the 1980s a Hank Ingham signature adorned the holiday graphics painted on many Eureka storefront windows. A trip to the Southwest in the 1990s inspired the series of pen and ink drawings and several large acrylic works he presented in a show “Cactus Bones.” His artwork has been the logo on the front of the Humboldt County Science Fair t-shirts since its inception. After his retirement in 2017, he devoted more time to perfecting his skills in watercolor painting. He studied under Alan Sanborn and became fast friends with other local artists in Sanborn’s Art Critique groups.
Hank adored his children; they could do no wrong. He was immensely proud of them and this unconditional love instantly flowed over into his grandchildren. He found delight in each of their special qualities. In his last year Hank found new opportunities to share his humor and creative talents with the caregivers at Timber Ridge Eureka. He considered those who cared for him there, laughed at his quick jokes and watched a bit of basketball game with him as his extended family. Hank died of complications of Parkinson’s Disease after a short illness. Donations in Hank’s memory would be welcomed by the Parkinson’s Foundation or the Sequoia Humane Society.
A Celebration of Hank’s life will be held in Eureka on July 12th. If you may wish to attend, please contact the family at the link below for details on time and location.
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