Henry Johnston SAWYER

Henry was born on March 24th, 1960 to parents DeDe Sawyer (later Brinker) and Edward Sawyer, both now deceased. At the age of 55 he passed away peacefully and of natural causes at his home in Cincinnati on January 15th, 2016.

Henry is survived by his step father Scott Brinker, by his brothers and sisters Edward Sawyer Jr, Dr. William Sawyer and Stephanie Erb, Robert Sawyer, Bill Brinker and Abby Silver, Tom Brinker, Dr. Margy Sawyer and Justin Ristau, Kristy Sawyer and Nathan Coleman, as well as by his many nieces and nephews.

He attended Cincinnati Country Day School, Salisbury School and Sewickley Academy before completing his undergraduate studies at New England College and The Evergreen State College.

With Henry’s passing the world lost one of its very special spirits. As anyone who knew him would say, he was absolutely unique in the way he lived his life. Dismissive of many social conventions, he accepted everyone for who they were and found joy and adventure in the uniqueness of others. He brought that joy and good humor to every little thing he did.

Henry was an environmentalist who loved the outdoors. He was deeply concerned with healing our wounded planet and lived his life accordingly, minimizing his footprint wherever he was, often at significant cost. He loved sports and was a gifted athlete himself, excelling at snow skiing, golf, tennis, water skiing, paddle tennis, ice hockey and soccer, to name just a few. He loved the Grateful Dead.

Henry was a kind-hearted, generous and loving individual who always put other people’s needs in front of his own. He never hesitated when it came to helping someone out, whether it was just lending a hand or writing a check, even if it pinched him at the time.

Henry’s motto was “Live Simply So Others Can Simply Live”. It was on the back of his station wagon for over 10 years.

His service will be held at Christ Church Glendale on Saturday January 30th at 1 PM.

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In lieu of flowers donations should be made to the environmental charity of your choice, or to The Henry the Hand Foundation, 175 E. Fountain Ave., Glendale, OH 45246.

Professional services entrusted to Grunn Funeral Home