Obituaries

Audrey Joan Henke (née Brinker), 91, of Covington, Kentucky, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.

Born on February 3, 1935, in Covington, Kentucky, Audrey was the cherished daughter of the late John and Lydia Brinker. She spent her early years in Covington before her family settled in Norwood, Ohio, where she grew up and attended Regina High School. Her journey later took her to Pleasant Ridge and then to Walnut Hills in 1970, where she continued to build the rich and meaningful life she was known for.

On April 12, 1958, Audrey was united in marriage to the love of her life, Paul Henke, and together they built a beautiful family and shared decades of laughter, faith, and devotion — until Paul’s passing in September 2015.

Audrey was a woman of warmth, creativity, and abiding joy. A gifted artist, she poured her heart into handmade gifts for her children — each piece a quiet expression of how deeply she loved. She had a lifelong passion for antiques and antiquing, always drawn to the stories held within treasured things. She was a natural gift-giver, a generous soul who found as much happiness in the giving as others did in receiving.

She delighted in life’s simple pleasures — her beloved annual blueberry picking tradition, playing the piano for her own quiet enjoyment, and her well-known, unapologetic love of candy. These small joys said everything about who she was: a woman who savored life and shared its sweetness freely.

In addition to her parents and her beloved husband Paul, Audrey was preceded in death by her brothers Jerry, James, and Jack Brinker.

She is lovingly survived by her children: Julie (John) Jaspers, Tom (Martha) Henke, Jerry (Diana) Henke, Dan (Sherri) Henke, Dianne (Arlie) Williams, and David Waters — along with 10 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren, all of whom carry her light forward in their hearts.

A visitation will be held on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, from 10:00 a.m., followed by the Memorial Mass at 11:00 a.m., at St. Pius X Catholic Church, 348 Dudley Road, Edgewood, KY 41017. Interment will take place privately at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Audrey’s name are welcomed to the Alzheimer’s Association, SPCA, The Scratching Post, or Circle Tail, Inc.