John T. Henry, a quiet guy with a quick wit and a 33-year history with the Pioneer Press, died Friday, one day after his 86th birthday.

The former publisher and chairman passed away at his home in White Bear Lake while in hospice care.

“He was not a big social person,” said his wife Carla Henry. “Yet he was very polite and interested in people he met. He was introspective. He loved the paper. He was so dedicated to the paper.”

Henry was raised by his mother in Bald Eagle Lake after his parents divorced when he was a child. He graduated from White Bear High School in 1951 and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota.

In 1956 he began active duty in the United States Air Force as a flight instructor for single engine jets.

Three years later he was hired as a classified ads salesman at the Pioneer Press where he would work his way up to publisher and chairman before retiring in 1992.

“I would classify him as a quiet leader,” said Diane Moser who worked with Henry at the paper. “He was not gangbusters. He was not gung-ho. He was very smooth and steady. He had a great analytical mind and was excellent with finances. He was very able to assess the situation and figure out ways to solve the business side of things.”

During his time as publisher, he oversaw some big changes to the paper. The Pioneer Press and the St. Paul Dispatch combined to be one paper.

“I worked closely with John Henry when I did a short stint in the promotion department,” said former co-worker Bernie Lunzer. “We were making the switch from two papers to one and working on the in-house marketing campaign. I had great respect for him. (He was) really the last of the Ridder regime in any meaningful way.”

He also fended off the Star Tribune which began aggressively moving into the St. Paul market at that time.

Henry addressed this concern with his own plan to stand firm and told readers in a July 1987 column , “We will remain your hometown newspaper.”

He oversaw the new $45 million production plant which went online in 1983 and switched to a low-rub ink that he said, “we hoped would alleviate the inky fingers problem.”

“John was a very nice guy, very dedicated to the newspaper and fun to interact with on the editorial board,” said colleague Steve Dornfeld.

Friends described him as “classy” with a wry sense of humor.

“I really enjoyed him as a boss. He had a dry sense of humor, and an interesting wit,” Moser said. “He was very kind, not overly outgoing, but softly people oriented.”

Henry and his first wife, Mary Dustin Platt Mairs, had four children — Alexandra, Elizabeth, John and Catherine. He went on to have 11 grandchildren and four great grandchildren. He and Carla have been married for 37 years.

During his time in St. Paul, he was elected chairman of the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce and held leadership positions with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Junior Achievement and others.

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With new shops and street improvements, Saturday’s ‘Rice and LarpenTOUR’ showcases three cities After leaving the paper, he turned to his many hobbies such as painting, model ship building, and playing the trombone.

“He was a very creative person who had a lot of different interests,” Carla said.

A celebration of life will be held at the Bradshaw Funeral home at 4600 Greenhaven Drive in White Bear Lake. The date and time will be announced later.