Henry “Hank” E. Poth Sr.

Henry “Hank” Edward Poth Sr., passed away peacefully at the age of 76 on September 12th, 2026 after an 11 year battle with multiple myeloma cancer. Hank, known to his friends and family as “Cateyes” was very proud of his unique eyes and would show them off to anyone who noticed them.

Born September 6, 1950 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Henry “Lefty” Poth and Shirley, née Gross, Hank was the second eldest of 13 siblings: Connie, Kathy (Jim), Carole (late Michael), Corie (Randy), Julia (Kurt), Mary Jo (late Bob), Phyllis, Paul (late Toni), Alice, Tony (Jill), Kurt (Katie) and Charlotte.

Hank graduated from St. Margaret Mary grade school and Francis Jordan High School in 1969 before enlisting in the US Army, where he bravely completed tours to Vietnam, Korea, Panama and Germany. During this time Hank began receiving letters from “The most beautiful woman in the world”, Linda, née Polzer whom he married soon after. In 2026 the pair celebrated 50 years of marriage. Hank was very proud of his three children: Henry Jr. (Christina), Gina, and Carolyn. He also loved spending time with his grandchildren: Robyn “Wooby”, Jayden and Alex.

Hank retired from the Milwaukee County Transit System in 2016 when he was diagnosed with cancer. During his cancer treatment, Hank loved to tell his life story to all the medical staff at the VA and Froedtert Hospital. Did you know that when he was in the Army, he started an IV on himself? Or that he once administered 750 vaccines in a day? From traveling to Australia during R+R in the military to attending Woodstock, Hank is survived by the many stories he’s told to anyone who was willing to listen.

Visitation will be held at Wisconsin Memorial Park in the Chapel of Chimes, 13235 West Capitol Drive on Tuesday September 22, 2026 from 1:00 PM-3:00 PM. Service at 3:00 PM with burial
to follow.

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