LISA M. HENGEL
The Swiss academic Tariq Ramadan once disputed the notion that behind every great man, there’s a great woman.
“Behind every great man is not a woman,” he argues. “She is beside him, she is with him, not behind him.”
He could have been talking about Lisa Hengel, who died in a January car accident with her 72-year-old husband Tom, a beloved Gloucester County track coach.
More than a dozen people – including Tom’s barber – posted online memories of Coach Hengel, the couple’s memorial service drew hundreds and a 48-minute tribute video flashed scenes from a three-decade marriage: decorating Easter eggs, traveling, shooting selfies.
Tom’s legacy was well-known, but Lisa, who was 61, was more than just the coach’s wife.
“None of this would have been possible without his silent devoted partner,” their joint obituary says.
“I got to see her a few times during my time at Clearview,” wrote Cassy Lenkowski-Kulik online, referencing the high school where Tom coached. “We knew she did just the same amount of hours and time he did for our track team. He also spoke so highly of her.”
To say the Hengels complemented each other is an understatement. They both graduated from Clearview. At home, according to their obituary, Tom did the lawn, Lisa planted and gardened. They both loved South Dakota and country music.
As a coach, he was firm; she was often his lighter side.
“I remember meeting Lisa for the first time and being amazed at her kind and gentle demeanor,” recalled a post from Coleen Weber Bachi. “Coach Hengel was tough, but his wife was clearly the yin to his yang. She made all of us feel special.”
Kathy Rogers called Lisa a “beloved niece” who had a “kind, compassionate and loving heart.”
It’s a sad irony that a couple known for doing everything together also perished together. It may also be of some comfort to those who saw how they lived.
As the Hengels’ obituary put it: “Their journey was marked by unwavering love, mutual respect and an enduring partnership that inspired all who knew them.”
Sources: Smith Funeral Home, The Sun.
INSIDE THE OBITS
Animal behavior
Many obituaries not only describe a person’s loved ones or careers, but also the animals they cherished. Here are five.
Joan Behnke was known for her baking, gardening and crafts, notes the 87-year-old’s obituary. Retired from a career in banking and a fan of the Phillies and Flyers, she also nurtured both cats and dogs – and a few squirrels. Her obit also says that Little Bob misses his human. Joan was also a proud lion – the Lions Club, that is.
Brian C. Dye’s family meant everything to him. But he was also fond of many animals, including a cat, Mousi, who was not only a constant companion, but also a source of comfort, according to Brian’s obituary. The 48-year-old had such a gentle nature, he even set ants free back into the wild – or wherever it is they go.
Wendy Lee Zeisloft Harvey always had compassion for those in need, her obituary says, and the 63-year-old applied that to a career in the medical field, including 40 years in nursing homes and care to the handicapped. That loving nature applied to distressed animals, too, so much so that Wendy would stop her car to help one.
Florence C. Adler graduated from the prestigious Westminster Choir College and was an elementary-school music teacher, according to her obituary. It also notes that in death, the 87-year-old was expected to be reunited with Maggie, Millie, Smoke, Marty and Margie – at the Rainbow Bridge, a place evoked in literature where pets and owners are reunited after death.
Roger Newell Smith spent his career in law enforcement, and at one point, was the youngest police chief in Burlington County. After retirement, he served his community – and a community of animals – as a breeder of Deutsch-Drahthaar dogs, testing the animals and even judging them for a breed club. He was 79.
Sources: Legacy.com, Costantino-Primo Funeral Home, Bradley and Stow Funeral Home, Lewis Funeral Home, Cheega Funeral Home.
The Good Life appears twice a month. To suggest someone who recently passed away for a tribute, email Christina Mitchell at cmitchell@donnelly.media. Please describe in a few words something about the person’s life.
