Hutch Phillips Henry

Hutch Phillips Henry, 90, passed away peacefully in a local care facility on July 4, 2019. Hutch, a direct descendant of the Cameron Parish family of Samuel P. and Harriet McDonald Henry was the son of Leroy and Bertie Phillips Henry. He was born on September 19, 1928 at St. Patrick’s Sanitarium in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Hutch grew up in Cameron and Lake Charles and attended Central School. He graduated from Lake Charles High in 1946 where he lettered in both Track and Football, and played under Coach R. S. Killen.

Following graduation from Lake Charles High, Hutch enrolled at John McNeese Junior College earning a Varsity M in Track and Football. Earning his Diploma from McNeese, he went on to enroll at Southwestern Louisiana Institute of Liberal and Technical Learning (SLI) in Lafayette. He lettered in football at SLI where “the big lineman, extremely fast for his weight, has made a habit of appearing in the enemy backfield after the snap of the ball and stopping opposition ball carriers before they can get started.” He also was appointed as a Cadet First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force ROTC while attending SLI. Hutch graduated from SLI in 1951 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration.  

In July of 1951, Hutch enlisted in the United States Air Force. He completed training in the OSI and was assigned as a Second Lieutenant Special Investigator Office with the 14^th Air Force. During his time in the service, he was assigned to Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, Louisiana. It was during his time at Barksdale, that he went on a blind date with Maebeth Daniels. Hutch and “Bebe” were married on January 22, 1952, and were together for 62 years. Hutch was Honorably Discharged from the Air Force in July of 1953, and they moved to Cameron where he worked for Mobil Oil before moving to Denver, Colorado. While in Denver, he was a gas station owner and attended gunsmithing school. Returning to Louisiana in 1965, Hutch worked for Mobil Oil in Cameron until retiring.

Hutch was an avid sportsman, a serious collector of things related to the era of Western expansion, and a self-taught food critic. Whenever you cooked for Hutch, he didn’t hesitate to let you know how well you did. He and Bebe raised four girls so you can imagine what it was like in the house. As time went on, Hutch eventually lost his sight, but never his quick wit. He devoured Louis L’Armour books on tape and enjoyed listening to Elvis, often singing along. He was a man that lived life as full as he could.

Hutch was preceded in death by his mother and father, as well as his older brother Peter Cameron Henry. The love of his life, Bebe, died in 2014, and he lost a grandson, Samuel Andrew McDonald. Hutch is survived by his four daughters, Cheryl Krull and her husband Bill, Jackie Adkins and her husband Charlie, Sandy Fuselier and her husband Eric, and Merri McCoy. He is survived by seven grandchildren, Shannon Barber (Todd), Jeremy Adkins (Sarah), Adam McDonald (Tina), Christie Webre (Ryan), Sarah Simmons (Zack), Colin Royer, and Jacob Fontenot. He is also survived by ten great-grandchildren; Jack, Luke, and Lyle Adkins, Emily, Christopher, and Brady Barber, Charlie Webre, Dominica and Ava McDonald, and soon to be born, “Peanut” Simmons.

The family would like to express gratitude to Morgan, Fabinne, the staff of the Rosewood Nursing Home and Brighton Bridge Hospice for their care of Hutch.

Visitation for those wishing to remember Hutch will be held at 12:30pm – 1:30pm in the Chapel at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church on Thursday, July 11th. A private family service will be held in the Chapel following the visitation period at 2:00pm with burial to follow in Highland Memory Gardens. Donations in Hutch’s memory may be made to St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, 123 West Sale Road, Lake Charles, Louisiana. 70605.