Amy Ruth Hamlin Henningsen

Amy Ruth Hamlin Henningsen, 71 passed away on Sunday, April 7, 2024, at Huntsman Cancer Center after a 4 year battle with cancer.

Amy was born April 23, 1952 to Adella “Dolly” Havlik and Richard Hamlin in Whitehall, Michigan. She had many fond memories of growing up in Whitehall and loved going home as often as possible throughout her adult life. She considered herself lucky to grow up in the late 50’s and early 60’s when kids were allowed to roam the streets in feral packs terrorizing the neighborhood. She also spent considerable time at Michigan’s many beaches swimming and running amok with many of the same feral kids terrorizing other beachgoers. That changed when horse fever hit her hard.

Amy’s life-long love affair with horses began early when she got her first equine at the age of 11 – a miserable pony she loved fiercely despite Daisy’s many attempts to kill her (standard pony behavior). Daisy was the first of many horses she loved in her life. Later, after moving to Utah, she became interested in dressage – a high-level horse schooling sport. Her devotion to this sport culminated in the early 1990’s when she and her beloved Lazzane won the Utah State Championship in an early dressage level. Typical of Amy, she refused to take any of the credit and said it was all the horse’s doing. While shortly after this, children became her primary focus, she continued to love and ride horses, owning them up until about a year before her death.

Amy and Dirk Patrick Henningsen were married May 16, 1981 in Heber Valley, Utah. They experienced tragedy when they lost their son, James Patrick Henningsen at birth. They opened their home to their son, Jordan D. Snell in 1995 when he was two years old and adopted their daughter, Callie J. Henningsen, at birth two years later. Amy was a very loving and devoted mother, and then grandmother, despite working full time and she cherished her children and grandchildren above all. She also enjoyed outdoor activities with her dear friends and loved to take her grandsons on adventures. In the last few years of her life, Amy’s greatest joys were her three grandsons. Probably the biggest reason she hated dying was that it would deprive her of more time with her children and grandchildren. They felt the same way.

Amy graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1974 and was a registered Occupational Therapist certified in Neurodevelopmental Treatment in Pediatrics and as an Assistive Technology Practitioner with an over 40-year career in the field spending the last 32 years working for Utah State University helping hundreds of children and their families. Amy found great joy in working with kids with disabilities by providing early intervention services. She went above and beyond for her clients, often providing voluntary respite care to the families of children with disabilities. In her own words, “I am so blessed to have a job and a career that I love so deeply. Working with children/individuals with disabilities and their families fills my heart with deep love and satisfaction.”

In 2018, she was recognized by the Utah Down Syndrome Foundation for her work with families in northern Utah. The UDSF award praised Amy for “thinking outside of the box” to find therapies tailored to the specific child. In accepting the award, Amy stated, “I really try to focus on functional skills so that kids can move, eat, and access technology.” Her final, overarching goal was to make sure children were included in their families and communities.

Amy will be greatly missed by her family and friends for her strength of heart, compassion, passion for life, sense of humor, and above all, her love. Amy liked the saying, “Live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse”. Her family believes she succeeded in just that.

Amy was preceded in death by her parents Richard and Dolly Hamlin, her younger brother David Hamlin, her older brother Richard “Rich” Hamlin, her son James Patrick Henningsen, and Daisy, Taffy, Ishy, Merlin, Lazzane, Chisan, and Paco (horses). She is survived by Dirk, her older brother Timothy “Tim” Hamlin, Callie (Cameron Sandberg), Jordan (Jenny), her three grandsons, and Wart “Arthur” (horse).
A celebration of life will be held July 6th, 2024 at Willow Park, More Details to come.

In leu of flowers, donations can be made to help with end of life expenses/celebration of life service through Venmo (@calliewally97) or sent to 1191 w 1960 s Logan, Utah 84321