Henry Vincent "Hank" Krokosky, Jr.

Henry Krokosky Jr., 79, Appleton, passed away peacefully at home Monday, April 6, 2026.  Here are some of his final words from his well-known paper box briefcase:

“ 'Born on a mountain top in Tennessee/Greenest state in the land of the free/Raised in the woods so's he knew ev’ry tree/Kilt him a b’ar when he was only three’ ... no, no, they won't believe this is for a left-handed Polack.

Born and raised in southwestern Connecticut - leading edge of the Baby Boomer generation - taught by the public schools, Sister of Divine Charity and the Jesuits - claim to fame: had Washington D.C. pundit, John McLaughlin of The McLaughlin Report for freshman Religion class.

Accepted (somehow) by Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie-Mellon University) in Pittsburgh, PA - on my first visit I thought the bus driver had taken a wrong turn when, after emerging from a tunnel under a hill, giant flames shooting into the sky appeared and calmed down after a fellow traveler explained they were blast furnaces and not a suburb of Hell - started in Mathematics, graduated (I think) in Psychology.

Had a choice of travelling to exotic lands (Vietnam) or teaching - did the latter on an island - not Gilligan's but downstream from the "Burg" in the middle of the Ohio River - taught high school Mathematics and Drivers Education. I found that union work was more fun and became the local President and Negotiations Chairperson.

Then I became a professional negotiator bargaining ESP contracts part-time and doing substitute UniServ work - the opportunity to do this was given by Michael Butera, the "Italian Stallion," who was, at that time, a Pittsburgh area UniServ Director. I decided this work was better than teaching but couldn't land a job in Pennsylvania.

I started applying out-of-state and ended up in Appleton on March 15, 1977. I think I did okay on behalf of the organization and membership. I  enjoyed most years except for about three when I became a pariah for some unknown reason.

I am most proud of my wife of 47 years, Charlotte, who worked 36 years as a Speech Pathologist and Early Childhood Educator, our son Neal, daughter Alyson, and my third child, the AEA/AASD contract, which at its high point was 178 pages. I was happy when our family grew with the addition of a daughter-in-law Valerie and grandchildren Henry and Sophie.”

Henry was a proud United Staff Union member. Many of the members he represented have shared that, although he was generally a quiet man, if he spoke up at a meeting, everyone stopped to listen. 

While Henry loved to give flowers to many people, his family requests that, if you would like to honor him, you invest your flower money in a non-profit of your choice or one of the non-profits that he frequently supported. While there were many organizations to which Henry donated his time and talents, three favorites included the Appleton Education Foundation, Community Clothes Closet, and St. Joseph Food Program.

A visitation will be held from 1:00 - 2:30 PM on Sunday, April 26, 2026 at St. Joseph Parish (404 W Lawrence Street, Appleton, WI 54911) with a funeral service to follow at 2:30 PM. Reception to follow. Reception details available at the service or by emailing CelebrateHVK@gmail.com

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.