Dan Henry, San Diego Aquaman, dies at 78 after an amazing lifetime in the water.
Imagine plunging into the ocean off Catalina Island in the pitch darkness at three in the morning and then spending the next 24 hours swimming circles around the vacation paradise. Or being pulled out of the ocean while swimming from Catalina to San Pedro because your companions on a support boat spotted a mako shark trolling you from behind. Or showing up on dreary, nippy winter mornings at La Jolla Cove for a three-mile swims to Scripps Pier and back despite water temperatures in the chilly 50s. Well, those aquatic challenges were no figment of the imagination for Dan Henry. They were just everyday activities he savored in his pursuit of fun, adventure and fitness. Soon Henry's love for the ocean will become eternal. His friends and family plan to scatter his ashes at sea next year when limitations due to the Covid-19 coronavirus ease. Henry was 78 when he died November 16 2020 due to complications from pneumonia. "Nothing could keep Dan out of the ocean, not cold water, not big surf, that was him. Said Bill Crane, 81, a former San Diego schoolteacher who swam in endurance races and daily pool workouts with Henry for about 15 years. Henry was an attorney who was bilingual, specialized in immigration law, and lived in Clairemont with his wife, Jinko. "Dan got up early every morning, did some stretching exercises and then drove off to La Jolla Cove or the Mission Valley YMCA to swim," said Mrs. Henry. "Then he'd come home and we'd have breakfast together. That was just a giant part of his life." Mrs. Henry and Henry's sister, Pamela Rosenberg, who lives in Germany, agreed that Henry's ashes should be spread at sea because of his love for the ocean and friends and fellow swimmers touched by Henry hope to gather at La Jolla Cove next year and do so. As a long-time, active San Diegan, Henry epitomizes the San Diego citizenry described as early as 1978 in a Sports Illustrated magazine cover story as "Sports town U.S.A." the fittest city in the country. The magazine detailed how sun-splashed San Diegans never sit still, particularly near the ocean. Henry was every bit a San Diegan. His wide-ranging activities were astonishing, even for someone much younger. He swam, he skied, he sailed, he did weekly volunteer work and he was one of the hardest-working members of service clubs. "Dan kept himself very busy," said Don Ludwig, former president of the Torrey Pines Kiwanis Club. "When we would have art shows or other projects some members would just show up but Dan would be the one to go the extra mile and do way more than others." Speaking of the extra mile, Dan was a frequent competitor in endurance swim races around Catalina Island, cross-channel swims from Catalina to the mainland and multi-mile swim competitions up and down the state coastline. Still, he remained humble." He used to tell us about these races at breakfast meetings," said Ludwig. "He'd say something like "Hey, I just finished second in a big race! There were only two of us in my age group but I managed to hold on and finish second." Henry was also not above self-promotion on occasion. "We used to do the Oceanside around-the-pier swim each Labor Day," said fellow competitor Crane. "Dan would recruit a bunch of his Kiwanis Club buddies to show up and walk along the pier and cheer him on. No one else had a cheering section like that." Crane also notes that Henry's name is in the Catalina Swimming Federation record book. The relay team that included Henry and Crane still holds the men's 70-79 age group record of 10 hours, 57 minutes and 6 seconds for the Catalina Channel swim from the island to the mainland. When Henry told Crane about the race in which Henry was pulled back into a support boat because of the mako shark tailing him Crane replied: "You're fast, Dan. But not that fast." Henry also was competitive in masters swimming and helped the San Diego Swim Masters adult swim team win local, regional and national championships." Dan extended his storied open water aquatic career into our swim meets and became an inspiring teammate and an invaluable volunteer helper," said Kenton Jones, who organized a team Henry helped win a national championship in 2013. Henry was born in Vallejo, at the Mare Island Naval Base, son to a career Naval officer. He and his sister, Pamela Rosenberg, grew up following their father around the world as Navy brats. After retirement, their father became director of transportation for an oil company in Venezuela, where he put the children in local schools to become bilingual. He also instilled in them their sense of adventure." I think my brother's sense of adventure originated in those early years in Venezuela," said Rosenberg. "Our father took him occasionally for long weekends into the jungle where they hunted alligators and my brother would come home and excitedly regale me with stories of his experiences, including having to sleep up on trees in in order to avoid confrontation with alligators or other animals prowling around." Henry graduated from Blair Academy prep school in New Jersey, where he competed on the swim team, Occidental College, and then what was the Cal Western School of law before passing the state Bar in 1976. Henry's wife said he served as a lieutenant j.g. in the Navy on a destroyer deployed off Vietnam during the Vietnam war. His military background left a lasting influence on him and he spent many hours assisting disabled veterans and others, said Bob Bishop, another of Henry's swimming companions." I volunteered with Dan with the Torrey Pines Surf Ministry at La Jolla Shores on Saturdays and the Balboa Naval Hospital Surf Clinic at Del Mar Beach on Thursdays," said Bishop." Both organizations help the disabled with their rehab through surfing and water activities in the ocean. These individuals include veterans and individuals with PTSD, moral injuries, sexual assaults, depression, drug abuse and amputees." Dan was a big part of these organizations. Dan, with his quiet manner, humbleness and non-threatening attitude made him very accessible to all he met. God blessed all of us by his presence." Henry's friends in and out of the water are organizing an effort to have a plaque dedicated to him at his beloved La Jolla Cove. The family is using Clairemont Mortuary and requests that in lieu of flowers contributions be made in Henry's name to Rady Children's Hospital, Torrey Pines Church Surf Ministry or the Warrior Foundation Freedom Station.
Bill Callahan is a former Union-Tribune reporter and editor who was an occasional swim partner with Dan Henry. Callahan can be contacted at [email protected]
Imagine plunging into the ocean off Catalina Island in the pitch darkness at three in the morning and then spending the next 24 hours swimming circles around the vacation paradise. Or being pulled out of the ocean while swimming from Catalina to San Pedro because your companions on a support boat spotted a mako shark trolling you from behind. Or showing up on dreary, nippy winter mornings at La Jolla Cove for a three-mile swims to Scripps Pier and back despite water temperatures in the chilly 50s. Well, those aquatic challenges were no figment of the imagination for Dan Henry. They were just everyday activities he savored in his pursuit of fun, adventure and fitness. Soon Henry's love for the ocean will become eternal. His friends and family plan to scatter his ashes at sea next year when limitations due to the Covid-19 coronavirus ease. Henry was 78 when he died November 16 2020 due to complications from pneumonia. "Nothing could keep Dan out of the ocean, not cold water, not big surf, that was him. Said Bill Crane, 81, a former San Diego schoolteacher who swam in endurance races and daily pool workouts with Henry for about 15 years. Henry was an attorney who was bilingual, specialized in immigration law, and lived in Clairemont with his wife, Jinko. "Dan got up early every morning, did some stretching exercises and then drove off to La Jolla Cove or the Mission Valley YMCA to swim," said Mrs. Henry. "Then he'd come home and we'd have breakfast together. That was just a giant part of his life." Mrs. Henry and Henry's sister, Pamela Rosenberg, who lives in Germany, agreed that Henry's ashes should be spread at sea because of his love for the ocean and friends and fellow swimmers touched by Henry hope to gather at La Jolla Cove next year and do so. As a long-time, active San Diegan, Henry epitomizes the San Diego citizenry described as early as 1978 in a Sports Illustrated magazine cover story as "Sports town U.S.A." the fittest city in the country. The magazine detailed how sun-splashed San Diegans never sit still, particularly near the ocean. Henry was every bit a San Diegan. His wide-ranging activities were astonishing, even for someone much younger. He swam, he skied, he sailed, he did weekly volunteer work and he was one of the hardest-working members of service clubs. "Dan kept himself very busy," said Don Ludwig, former president of the Torrey Pines Kiwanis Club. "When we would have art shows or other projects some members would just show up but Dan would be the one to go the extra mile and do way more than others." Speaking of the extra mile, Dan was a frequent competitor in endurance swim races around Catalina Island, cross-channel swims from Catalina to the mainland and multi-mile swim competitions up and down the state coastline. Still, he remained humble." He used to tell us about these races at breakfast meetings," said Ludwig. "He'd say something like "Hey, I just finished second in a big race! There were only two of us in my age group but I managed to hold on and finish second." Henry was also not above self-promotion on occasion. "We used to do the Oceanside around-the-pier swim each Labor Day," said fellow competitor Crane. "Dan would recruit a bunch of his Kiwanis Club buddies to show up and walk along the pier and cheer him on. No one else had a cheering section like that." Crane also notes that Henry's name is in the Catalina Swimming Federation record book. The relay team that included Henry and Crane still holds the men's 70-79 age group record of 10 hours, 57 minutes and 6 seconds for the Catalina Channel swim from the island to the mainland. When Henry told Crane about the race in which Henry was pulled back into a support boat because of the mako shark tailing him Crane replied: "You're fast, Dan. But not that fast." Henry also was competitive in masters swimming and helped the San Diego Swim Masters adult swim team win local, regional and national championships." Dan extended his storied open water aquatic career into our swim meets and became an inspiring teammate and an invaluable volunteer helper," said Kenton Jones, who organized a team Henry helped win a national championship in 2013. Henry was born in Vallejo, at the Mare Island Naval Base, son to a career Naval officer. He and his sister, Pamela Rosenberg, grew up following their father around the world as Navy brats. After retirement, their father became director of transportation for an oil company in Venezuela, where he put the children in local schools to become bilingual. He also instilled in them their sense of adventure." I think my brother's sense of adventure originated in those early years in Venezuela," said Rosenberg. "Our father took him occasionally for long weekends into the jungle where they hunted alligators and my brother would come home and excitedly regale me with stories of his experiences, including having to sleep up on trees in in order to avoid confrontation with alligators or other animals prowling around." Henry graduated from Blair Academy prep school in New Jersey, where he competed on the swim team, Occidental College, and then what was the Cal Western School of law before passing the state Bar in 1976. Henry's wife said he served as a lieutenant j.g. in the Navy on a destroyer deployed off Vietnam during the Vietnam war. His military background left a lasting influence on him and he spent many hours assisting disabled veterans and others, said Bob Bishop, another of Henry's swimming companions." I volunteered with Dan with the Torrey Pines Surf Ministry at La Jolla Shores on Saturdays and the Balboa Naval Hospital Surf Clinic at Del Mar Beach on Thursdays," said Bishop." Both organizations help the disabled with their rehab through surfing and water activities in the ocean. These individuals include veterans and individuals with PTSD, moral injuries, sexual assaults, depression, drug abuse and amputees." Dan was a big part of these organizations. Dan, with his quiet manner, humbleness and non-threatening attitude made him very accessible to all he met. God blessed all of us by his presence." Henry's friends in and out of the water are organizing an effort to have a plaque dedicated to him at his beloved La Jolla Cove. The family is using Clairemont Mortuary and requests that in lieu of flowers contributions be made in Henry's name to Rady Children's Hospital, Torrey Pines Church Surf Ministry or the Warrior Foundation Freedom Station.
Bill Callahan is a former Union-Tribune reporter and editor who was an occasional swim partner with Dan Henry. Callahan can be contacted at [email protected]
Dan Henry, San Diego Aquaman, dies at 78 after an amazing lifetime in the water.
Imagine plunging into the ocean off Catalina Island in the pitch darkness at three in the morning and then spending the next 24 hours swimming circles around the vacation paradise. Or being pulled out of the ocean while swimming from Catalina to San Pedro because your companions on a support boat spotted a mako shark trolling you from behind. Or showing up on dreary, nippy winter mornings at La Jolla Cove for a three-mile swims to Scripps Pier and back despite water temperatures in the chilly 50s. Well, those aquatic challenges were no figment of the imagination for Dan Henry. They were just everyday activities he savored in his pursuit of fun, adventure and fitness. Soon Henry's love for the ocean will become eternal. His friends and family plan to scatter his ashes at sea next year when limitations due to the Covid-19 coronavirus ease. Henry was 78 when he died November 16 2020 due to complications from pneumonia. "Nothing could keep Dan out of the ocean, not cold water, not big surf, that was him. Said Bill Crane, 81, a former San Diego schoolteacher who swam in endurance races and daily pool workouts with Henry for about 15 years. Henry was an attorney who was bilingual, specialized in immigration law, and lived in Clairemont with his wife, Jinko. "Dan got up early every morning, did some stretching exercises and then drove off to La Jolla Cove or the Mission Valley YMCA to swim," said Mrs. Henry. "Then he'd come home and we'd have breakfast together. That was just a giant part of his life." Mrs. Henry and Henry's sister, Pamela Rosenberg, who lives in Germany, agreed that Henry's ashes should be spread at sea because of his love for the ocean and friends and fellow swimmers touched by Henry hope to gather at La Jolla Cove next year and do so. As a long-time, active San Diegan, Henry epitomizes the San Diego citizenry described as early as 1978 in a Sports Illustrated magazine cover story as "Sports town U.S.A." the fittest city in the country. The magazine detailed how sun-splashed San Diegans never sit still, particularly near the ocean. Henry was every bit a San Diegan. His wide-ranging activities were astonishing, even for someone much younger. He swam, he skied, he sailed, he did weekly volunteer work and he was one of the hardest-working members of service clubs. "Dan kept himself very busy," said Don Ludwig, former president of the Torrey Pines Kiwanis Club. "When we would have art shows or other projects some members would just show up but Dan would be the one to go the extra mile and do way more than others." Speaking of the extra mile, Dan was a frequent competitor in endurance swim races around Catalina Island, cross-channel swims from Catalina to the mainland and multi-mile swim competitions up and down the state coastline. Still, he remained humble." He used to tell us about these races at breakfast meetings," said Ludwig. "He'd say something like "Hey, I just finished second in a big race! There were only two of us in my age group but I managed to hold on and finish second." Henry was also not above self-promotion on occasion. "We used to do the Oceanside around-the-pier swim each Labor Day," said fellow competitor Crane. "Dan would recruit a bunch of his Kiwanis Club buddies to show up and walk along the pier and cheer him on. No one else had a cheering section like that." Crane also notes that Henry's name is in the Catalina Swimming Federation record book. The relay team that included Henry and Crane still holds the men's 70-79 age group record of 10 hours, 57 minutes and 6 seconds for the Catalina Channel swim from the island to the mainland. When Henry told Crane about the race in which Henry was pulled back into a support boat because of the mako shark tailing him Crane replied: "You're fast, Dan. But not that fast." Henry also was competitive in masters swimming and helped the San Diego Swim Masters adult swim team win local, regional and national championships." Dan extended his storied open water aquatic career into our swim meets and became an inspiring teammate and an invaluable volunteer helper," said Kenton Jones, who organized a team Henry helped win a national championship in 2013. Henry was born in Vallejo, at the Mare Island Naval Base, son to a career Naval officer. He and his sister, Pamela Rosenberg, grew up following their father around the world as Navy brats. After retirement, their father became director of transportation for an oil company in Venezuela, where he put the children in local schools to become bilingual. He also instilled in them their sense of adventure." I think my brother's sense of adventure originated in those early years in Venezuela," said Rosenberg. "Our father took him occasionally for long weekends into the jungle where they hunted alligators and my brother would come home and excitedly regale me with stories of his experiences, including having to sleep up on trees in in order to avoid confrontation with alligators or other animals prowling around." Henry graduated from Blair Academy prep school in New Jersey, where he competed on the swim team, Occidental College, and then what was the Cal Western School of law before passing the state Bar in 1976. Henry's wife said he served as a lieutenant j.g. in the Navy on a destroyer deployed off Vietnam during the Vietnam war. His military background left a lasting influence on him and he spent many hours assisting disabled veterans and others, said Bob Bishop, another of Henry's swimming companions." I volunteered with Dan with the Torrey Pines Surf Ministry at La Jolla Shores on Saturdays and the Balboa Naval Hospital Surf Clinic at Del Mar Beach on Thursdays," said Bishop." Both organizations help the disabled with their rehab through surfing and water activities in the ocean. These individuals include veterans and individuals with PTSD, moral injuries, sexual assaults, depression, drug abuse and amputees." Dan was a big part of these organizations. Dan, with his quiet manner, humbleness and non-threatening attitude made him very accessible to all he met. God blessed all of us by his presence." Henry's friends in and out of the water are organizing an effort to have a plaque dedicated to him at his beloved La Jolla Cove. The family is using Clairemont Mortuary and requests that in lieu of flowers contributions be made in Henry's name to Rady Children's Hospital, Torrey Pines Church Surf Ministry or the Warrior Foundation Freedom Station.
Bill Callahan is a former Union-Tribune reporter and editor who was an occasional swim partner with Dan Henry. Callahan can be contacted at [email protected]
Imagine plunging into the ocean off Catalina Island in the pitch darkness at three in the morning and then spending the next 24 hours swimming circles around the vacation paradise. Or being pulled out of the ocean while swimming from Catalina to San Pedro because your companions on a support boat spotted a mako shark trolling you from behind. Or showing up on dreary, nippy winter mornings at La Jolla Cove for a three-mile swims to Scripps Pier and back despite water temperatures in the chilly 50s. Well, those aquatic challenges were no figment of the imagination for Dan Henry. They were just everyday activities he savored in his pursuit of fun, adventure and fitness. Soon Henry's love for the ocean will become eternal. His friends and family plan to scatter his ashes at sea next year when limitations due to the Covid-19 coronavirus ease. Henry was 78 when he died November 16 2020 due to complications from pneumonia. "Nothing could keep Dan out of the ocean, not cold water, not big surf, that was him. Said Bill Crane, 81, a former San Diego schoolteacher who swam in endurance races and daily pool workouts with Henry for about 15 years. Henry was an attorney who was bilingual, specialized in immigration law, and lived in Clairemont with his wife, Jinko. "Dan got up early every morning, did some stretching exercises and then drove off to La Jolla Cove or the Mission Valley YMCA to swim," said Mrs. Henry. "Then he'd come home and we'd have breakfast together. That was just a giant part of his life." Mrs. Henry and Henry's sister, Pamela Rosenberg, who lives in Germany, agreed that Henry's ashes should be spread at sea because of his love for the ocean and friends and fellow swimmers touched by Henry hope to gather at La Jolla Cove next year and do so. As a long-time, active San Diegan, Henry epitomizes the San Diego citizenry described as early as 1978 in a Sports Illustrated magazine cover story as "Sports town U.S.A." the fittest city in the country. The magazine detailed how sun-splashed San Diegans never sit still, particularly near the ocean. Henry was every bit a San Diegan. His wide-ranging activities were astonishing, even for someone much younger. He swam, he skied, he sailed, he did weekly volunteer work and he was one of the hardest-working members of service clubs. "Dan kept himself very busy," said Don Ludwig, former president of the Torrey Pines Kiwanis Club. "When we would have art shows or other projects some members would just show up but Dan would be the one to go the extra mile and do way more than others." Speaking of the extra mile, Dan was a frequent competitor in endurance swim races around Catalina Island, cross-channel swims from Catalina to the mainland and multi-mile swim competitions up and down the state coastline. Still, he remained humble." He used to tell us about these races at breakfast meetings," said Ludwig. "He'd say something like "Hey, I just finished second in a big race! There were only two of us in my age group but I managed to hold on and finish second." Henry was also not above self-promotion on occasion. "We used to do the Oceanside around-the-pier swim each Labor Day," said fellow competitor Crane. "Dan would recruit a bunch of his Kiwanis Club buddies to show up and walk along the pier and cheer him on. No one else had a cheering section like that." Crane also notes that Henry's name is in the Catalina Swimming Federation record book. The relay team that included Henry and Crane still holds the men's 70-79 age group record of 10 hours, 57 minutes and 6 seconds for the Catalina Channel swim from the island to the mainland. When Henry told Crane about the race in which Henry was pulled back into a support boat because of the mako shark tailing him Crane replied: "You're fast, Dan. But not that fast." Henry also was competitive in masters swimming and helped the San Diego Swim Masters adult swim team win local, regional and national championships." Dan extended his storied open water aquatic career into our swim meets and became an inspiring teammate and an invaluable volunteer helper," said Kenton Jones, who organized a team Henry helped win a national championship in 2013. Henry was born in Vallejo, at the Mare Island Naval Base, son to a career Naval officer. He and his sister, Pamela Rosenberg, grew up following their father around the world as Navy brats. After retirement, their father became director of transportation for an oil company in Venezuela, where he put the children in local schools to become bilingual. He also instilled in them their sense of adventure." I think my brother's sense of adventure originated in those early years in Venezuela," said Rosenberg. "Our father took him occasionally for long weekends into the jungle where they hunted alligators and my brother would come home and excitedly regale me with stories of his experiences, including having to sleep up on trees in in order to avoid confrontation with alligators or other animals prowling around." Henry graduated from Blair Academy prep school in New Jersey, where he competed on the swim team, Occidental College, and then what was the Cal Western School of law before passing the state Bar in 1976. Henry's wife said he served as a lieutenant j.g. in the Navy on a destroyer deployed off Vietnam during the Vietnam war. His military background left a lasting influence on him and he spent many hours assisting disabled veterans and others, said Bob Bishop, another of Henry's swimming companions." I volunteered with Dan with the Torrey Pines Surf Ministry at La Jolla Shores on Saturdays and the Balboa Naval Hospital Surf Clinic at Del Mar Beach on Thursdays," said Bishop." Both organizations help the disabled with their rehab through surfing and water activities in the ocean. These individuals include veterans and individuals with PTSD, moral injuries, sexual assaults, depression, drug abuse and amputees." Dan was a big part of these organizations. Dan, with his quiet manner, humbleness and non-threatening attitude made him very accessible to all he met. God blessed all of us by his presence." Henry's friends in and out of the water are organizing an effort to have a plaque dedicated to him at his beloved La Jolla Cove. The family is using Clairemont Mortuary and requests that in lieu of flowers contributions be made in Henry's name to Rady Children's Hospital, Torrey Pines Church Surf Ministry or the Warrior Foundation Freedom Station.
Bill Callahan is a former Union-Tribune reporter and editor who was an occasional swim partner with Dan Henry. Callahan can be contacted at [email protected]
Gravesite Details
Ashes spread at sea because of his love for the ocean.
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