Nathan Henquinet

Nathan Del Henquinet died Friday, November 1, 2024, after an 18-month battle with cancer ended his 44 years of life, which were filled with joy and love.

Nathan was born February 16, 1980. He was the middle child of Del and Sandy Henquinet. He grew up immersed in nature at his family home in Grover, WI. Nathan spent most of his childhood outdoors, clearing brush, setting deer stands, and hunting pheasants with his dad, taking hikes and marveling at nature with his mom, and exploring the woods and building forts with his sisters. Nathan’s childhood was filled with wonder. He found joy in nature’s simplest beauties, regaling his family with boundless knowledge about everything from field crops to satellites in the cosmos above.

Nathan also loved all mechanics and electronics, a fascination that began early in life. He always found ways to improve motorized toys by taking them apart and reconfiguring them to go faster or fly higher.

Nathan attended Peshtigo High School, where he dazzled friends with his free spirit and fun-loving antics. Always the life of the party, Nathan had a knack for elevating the mood of every room he entered. After high school, his magnetism followed him to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he dabbled in study while fostering lifelong bonds with his fraternity brothers of Phi Chi Epsilon. After completing his college degree at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College and setting course on a career in fire-protection engineering, Nathan moved to Washington state in 2006, where he honed his craft as an engineer and project manager. In 2014, Nathan’s career took him to the central California coast, where his talents and personal life fully bloomed.

In Santa Cruz, CA, Nathan met the love of his life, Sara Henquinet (Hazanzani). They married in Hawaii in 2018 and spent the ensuing years creating a home nestled in the towering redwoods of Felton, CA. With the birth of their three children, Alan (5), Wren (3), and Walter (1), Nathan and Sara quickly outgrew their home in Felton and moved to nearby Soquel, CA. Always a doting father, Nathan showered his children with love and attention. With his gentle, patient spirit, he taught them how to love and care for one another. At the same time he and Sara were building a family, Nathan also built a storied career as a designer, project manager and co-owner at BFP Fire Protection (Scotts Valley, CA), where his gift of creative problem solving won over countless clients, and his humble leadership fostered the careers of many young designers.

Nathan was a dreamer and a builder. He saw the world not as it was, but as it could be, and built a life filled with love, kindness and unbridled positivity. Loved by all who knew him, Nathan’s love for life will be his legacy. His contemplative, imaginative nature lives on through his son Alan. His gentle, loving spirit lives on through his daughter, Wren. His curious analytical mind lives on through his son, Walter.

Nathan’s family owes a debt of gratitude to his wife, Sara Henquinet, who worked tirelessly to connect him to the best medical care in the country; and to the doctors and nurses at UC-San Francisco Hospital and the City of Hope Hospital in Los Angeles. They all cared and fought for Nathan with so much hope and compassion.

Nathan’s family will host a Celebration of Life on Saturday, June 21st at noon at their home located at W5044 Town Hall Rd. in Peshtigo. In lieu of gifts, please consider making a donation to the “Lu Family Fund” to help provide financial assistance to stage IV cancer patients seeking a second medical opinion.