Dorchester Times: Dorchester's Jan Henning Passes At 78

Thursday, August 14, 2025

Dorchester's Jan Henning Passes At 78

Janice Lynne Henning, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt,
and friend, passed away peacefully on Aug. 12, 2025, surrounded by her loving family. Born in Fairbury, Nebraska on Sept. 27, 1946 to Dolores and Charles Rodwell.

Jan, as she was affectionately known, dedicated 39 years of her career as an executive secretary to the General Manager at Alpo Pet Foods, where her professionalism, loyalty, and warmth left a lasting impact. It was at Alpo where she met Bruce Henning, who held multiple management positions over his 32-year career. Their connection blossomed into a loving partnership, and they were married on October 5, 1985, sharing nearly 40 wonderful years together.

Jan and Bruce shared a love of travel, exploring new places and creating cherished memories. Jan had a vibrant and joyful spirit, finding happiness in shopping, garage saling, and collecting unique treasures. Her greatest joy came from spending time with her grandchildren, whom she adored and loved to spoil.

Janice is survived by her devoted husband, Bruce Henning; her children, Michelle (David Brummer) and Todd Slama; and her stepchildren, Jennifer (Todd Zimmerman), Scott (Crystal Henning), and Jessica (Jason Sherwood). She is also survived by her grandchildren: Blake and Harper, Michael (Brian) and Rebecca, Madison, Sierra, and Hunter; her great-grandchildren, Elliott and Alexander; her sister, Kathleen Blobaum; nephews Scott, Greg (Julie), and Jesse; and her beloved pet, Teddy.

She is further survived by her sister- and brothers-in-law: Ron & Carolyn Henning, Donna & Daryl Michl, Donna Henning, Judy Henning, Marge & Noyle Kramer, Chuck & Rosalie Henning and Lynn Henning.

Jan is preceded in death by her parents and numerous brother and sisters-in-law.

Jan will be remembered for her kindness, her sense of fun, and the deep love she gave to her family and friends. Her legacy lives on in the hearts of all who knew her.

A memorial service will be held at Kuncl Funeral Home in Crete on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. with visitation on Tuesday from 5 - 7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Dorchester Volunteer Fire Department or to Blue River Pet Rescue in Seward, in honor of Jan’s generous and adventurous spirit. Arrangements entrusted to Kuncl Funeral Home in Crete.

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Dorchester: A Good Little Family Town

Dorchester, Nebraska (est. population 630) is located in northern Saline county. Close in proximity to Interstate 80, Dorchester is only 25 minutes from the state capital of Lincoln (est. population 250,000) and about 55 minutes from Omaha (metro population 725,000).

Dorchester's median resident age is 37 years. In 2005, Dorchester had a median family income of approximately $35,600. The median house value was about $63,000. About 95 percent of Dorchester residents commute to work via Interstate and highways.

The village has a quality public school, which received a $4.1 million expansion and modernization in 2008; it offers a small classrooms and individualized attention. Total enrollment of grades K-12 is around 230-250 students.

Ancestries of the Dorchester area are primarily German (42.4%), Czech (24.9%), Irish (12.5%), English (5.4%), and Dutch (4.9%).

Dorchester Historical Facts

* On July 4, 1871, the railroad reached Dorchester.
* Incorporated in 1881, Dorchester's population grew from 200 to 500 by 1882.
* In 1882, Dorchester had 90 buildings, 35 of which were businesses or public facilities. Brick buildings lined both sides of Washington Avenue for two blocks.
* Dorchester's longest-running newspaper was The Dorchester Star, which was published until the late 1940s.
* By 1889, Dorchester's population is said to have reached 800, while the town housed an opera house, a two-story brick schoolhouse with a bell tower, and four churches.
* By the 1910s, Dorchester had electricity, a water tower and a fire department.
* Dorchester's main arteries, Highways 6 and 33, were graveled in the 1940s.
* Dorchester's first irrigation well was drilled on Chris Weber's farm and rural electrification was finished following WWII.

A Village with History

Dorchester is one of the "alphabet towns" on the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad line built west from Lincoln. The town site was selected for its pleasant location in the northern part of Saline County, about eight miles west of Crete. This situation is an attractive one, being on the level prairie land, midway between the West Blue River and Turkey Creek. The first named stream is three miles north, and the latter about the same distance south from the town. Dorchester was platted in 1870 and incorporated in 1881. The name "Dorchester" came from either for a suburb of Boston by that name or a town in England. No one is sure. Two of the very first settlers were James Seely and Edward McIntyre, who both made Dorchester their permanent home.

Dorchester: In The Beginning

Here is a look at Dorchester around 1890, less than a decade after its official incorporation, as documented by Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska:
* POPULATION: "About 300, and is made up of a substantial and progressive class of citizens, who are moral and industrious. ... The town grew but very little until the year 1879, for the reason that Pleasant Hill, on Turkey Creek, a short distance south, was the county seat and naturally drew a trade for quite a large scope of country."
* BUSINESS: "The business and professional interests of the town are represented by three general merchandise stores, two drug, one grocery, one furniture, two hardware, and two millinery stores, one bank, two restaurants, two hotels, three livery stables, a post office, one newspaper office, two elevators, two lumber yards, two coal yards, two blacksmith shops, two lawyers and four physicians."
* SCHOOL: "The schoolhouse is a good one. The schoolhouse was built in 1872, since which time the public schools have been continually kept up. The present schoolhouse is 24' x 40' in size, two stories high. The school is graded and consists of three departments. The house is found too small, and arrangements will soon be made to increase its size."
* CHURCHES: "There are three substantial churches."
* HOMES: "The residence portion of the village is made up of neat houses of different styles of architecture, but none of them very large."
* NEWSPAPER: "The Dorchester Star, which was established August 21, 1881, by H. C. Bittenbender, who edited it until January 19, 1882, when he sold it to Ryerson & Bullock, the present proprietors. The Star is a bright weekly paper, five-column quarto, in size, and is Republican in politics."