Obituary of Henry Wiens

Henry Wiens 9/2/1941 – 8/31/2020

 

 

Better known as Opa is our family, Henry Wiens passed away at the age of 78, just three days shy of his 79^th birthday.

 

The son of German immigrants who fled their county in the 1940s in hopes of a better future in South America, Henry was born in Paraguay, South America. He later moved to Canada where he married and had three children. He traveled to Portland, Oregon for work in his late thirties where he found a job a Legacy Emanuel Hospital in maintenance.

 

Soon he met a man and his family who would eventually offer their business to Henry to own and operate. The man passed on and his wife offered the North Portland business, Island Dairy, to Henry. Henry did not have much money and agreed to payoff his new debt with a little money each month until the Island Dairy was official Henry’s.

 

Henry owned the North Portland, Island Dairy, from 1978 – 1991, where he became the historic “Milk Man” of North Portland.  The Milk Man title suited Henry nicely. Henry had thick white hair since his early twenties and fair skin pigment, standing out in a predominantly black neighborhood.  He had his fourth child and married the love of his life, Audrey.

 

Henry was a hard worker and would always say, I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” After being the neighborhood Milk Man, he became a Portland bus driver and finished his working career at Trimet where he would eventually retire in 2013.

 

Henry touched many lives. He was definitely rough around the edges, and he made mistakes, as all of us do. Through it all, Henry always wanted the best for his family. He will be remembered by many as Opa, the Milk Man, the bus drives, Dad, brother, uncle, son, friend and husband.

 

May Henry’s soul rest with the Lord.

 

The family would like to thank everyone for all the beautiful flowers and generous gifts sent in sympathy of Henry’s passing.

 

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