Enrique Henry Lucero

Enrique “Henry” Lucero passed away peacefully at 2:43 a.m. on Sunday, December 11, 2022, in Santa Rosa, California, after a years-long battle with bone cancer and, more recently, leukemia. His immediate family was with him during his last few days at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.  

Henry was born on January 11, 1945, in Pueblo, Colorado, to Rogerio and Sotera “Mary” (Ortega) Lucero. The family moved to Camino, California, in the early 1950s, where he met the love of his life, Virginia Sue Moore. They were married for 32 years. The pride and joy of their lives were their two children, Ginger Ann Kelly and Henry Lucero, Jr. Henry and Sue’s home was the heartbeat and gathering place for both sides of their extended family, celebrating occasions ranging from holiday parties to summer barbeques to weddings. Henry will be remembered by friends and family for his quick wit and radiant smile.

As a teenage boy, Henry worked after school and on weekends for the renowned botanist Lloyd Austin, weeding iris flower beds for 75 cents an hour. Here Henry acquired a green thumb, and he enjoyed gardening right up until almost the very end. Later, Henry was an accomplished home and painting contractor, owning and managing a thriving business for over 30 years. He was a skilled tradesman, and there weren’t many things he couldn’t build or repair.

Henry loved to travel with his family, with trips to Hawaii, Mexico, Lake Tahoe, Reno, places all over California, and beyond. These trips included driving his son halfway across the country to see Mount Rushmore, camping on the Mendocino Coast, and loading up the family in the motorhome to visit Disneyland or San Francisco. Henry was an avid sportsman as a hunter, fisherman, and certified scuba diver.

Henry spent every moment he could on adventures with his grandson, Jack, who was the joy of his life from the day he was born. Whenever Jack would ask him if they could go somewhere or do something, Henry's immediate answer was “I don’t see why not!” and off they would go. One of his greatest joys was taking Jack on fishing trips. 

Henry had a very special place in his heart for animals, especially for his loving and loyal Springer Spaniel, Monk, and his regal Great Dane, Judd. Later in his life he adopted a stray cat, Tinkerbell, whom he loved with all his heart. In his retirement Henry bought an RV, and he and Tink took an entire summer to meander all over America.

Henry is survived by his daughter, Ginger, and her husband, Mark; his grandson, Jack; his son, Henry, Jr., and his husband, Derek. Henry was proceeded in death by his sisters Elise, Gloria, Yoli and his brother Raymond. Henry is survived by his sisters Angie and Cathy and his brothers Jerry, Richard, and Roger.

The family will hold a celebration of life service on Saturday, June 17, 2023 at 11:00am PST at Heritage Oaks Memorial Chapel located at 6920 Destiny Drive, Rocklin, CA. 95677. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be made to the Leukemia Research Foundation, 191 Waukegan Road, Suite 105, Northfield, IL 60093, or online at https://secure.givelively.org/donate/leukemia-research-foundation-inc/henry-lucero.