Henrik Saxe Larsen

Henrik Saxe Larsen of Jacksonville, Arkansas, went to his rest in Jesus on April 28, 2026, in North Little Rock, Arkansas at the age of 93. He was born on June 7, 1932, in Korsør, Denmark to Jørgen Emil Meyer Larsen and Tove Amalie Larsena. He was the middle child of four boys: the eldest was Knud Jørgen Larsen, then Henrik, and after came Poul Hein Larsen and Elo Brinch Larsen.

 In a journal Henrik made for a college class in 1975, he wrote, “My �irst real recollection from my childhood was the beginning of World War II. As I came out of the house early in the morning April 9, 1940, going to school, the �irst thing I saw was a German soldier clad in a green uniform, black boots, wielding a machine gun, and laden with enough ammunition and hand grenades to blow up the entire town.” 

In 1947 at the age of 14, Henrik signed onto a steamship as a cook’s mate. This would mark the beginning of his career as a merchant marine. In his travels around the world, he witnessed the aftermath wrought by World War II. However, of all the things he saw, he wrote that his visit to Nagasaki, Japan was the most disturbing. The devastation he observed there was like nothing he had ever seen before.

 In time, his life as a sailor brought him to the United States of America where he found the love of his life in Marshallton, Delaware. He and Dorothy Virginia Benge were married on October 17, 1954, and remained married until her death in 2015.

 In 1955, Henrik enlisted in the United States Air Force where he worked as a Master Technician calibrating navigational equipment. After 20 years of honorable service, he retired in 1975 as a Master Sergeant. 

On September 2, 1958, in Altus, Oklahoma, Henrik became a citizen of the United States of America. He called that day his second birthday.

 Henrik was a long-time member of the Sherwood Seventh-day Adventist Church (formally the North Little Rock SDA). He became an elder of the church on April 15, 1985, and served as the head-elder for many years. Among his many duties were teaching Sabbath School and delivering sermons when the pastor was absent. Additionally, he and his wife oversaw the construction of the church’s current building in 2001. 

For decades, Henrik and Dorothy also served their church by running the church’s food pantry, and Henrik continued to run it up to the time of his death - this was done in partnership with Fishnet Missions of Jacksonville. 

Henrik was proceeded in death by his wife, mother, father, and eldest brother. He is survived by his brothers, Poul and Elo, many nieces and nephews, his Fishnet family, and his church family.

 A memorial service will be held at his church: The Sherwood Seventh-day Adventist Church On Sabbath, May 9, 2026 @ 4PM. Church address: 15202 Hwy 107, Jacksonville, AR, 72076. 

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Sherwood Seventh-day Adventist Church or Fishnet Mission of Jacksonville can be made in Henrik’s name.