One of the few times I turn off my phone is while bowling the USBC Open Championships, which we did Friday and Saturday in Baton Rouge.

Saturday’s 7 a.m. minors squad will be one I remember forever, as my teammate Marc McDowell took the lead in singles with a remarkable 795 (299-196-300). (Story to come and link will be added here.)

It took only a few minutes for heartbreak to be added to the euphoria of Mac’s incredible series, as I hurried to get our car, load my bowling balls, and get back to our hotel for a checkout a few minutes after the 11 a.m. checkout time. We then would start our drive back home to Wisconsin.

I finally checked my phone as we were in the elevator heading up to the room to get our stuff and the flood of messages I assumed were about Mac actually brought the devastating news that Madison Area USBC Hall of Famer Mark Henry had been killed and his wife Cherise Henry critically injured in a crash on Interstate 39 near Rockford, Illinois as they traveled home to Cottage Grove from Baton Rouge.

Tears filled my eyes as I told my girlfriend Susie the news that was in those messages.

Even two days later, I still can’t grasp the reality that Hitter is gone and Cherise is fighting for her life.

There are no words to describe the devastation of the loss of a guy who means so much to Madison bowling with the famed Henry Hitter 3-Person tournament he created in 1989 and as a friend to everyone he met. But I can offer a few stories that illustrate who Hitter was.

I turned 18 in the summer of 1980 and that made me eligible to bowl the Wisconsin Non-Pro Bowlers Alliance tournament, which was a big deal back then. My first tournament was the last weekend of August and I traveled to Lakeroad Lanes in Neenah with Henry and a couple of others from Madison. I was thrilled to cash and they were thrilled to buy me enough celebratory shots and beers to get me sick on the way home, giving them plenty of laughs at my expense then and for years.

Anyone who bowled the WNPBA will remember the legendary party Henry would throw the Saturday night of the annual November tournament at Northgate Lanes in Madison.

More than 40 years ago, Henry and I bowled in the Casino Lanes 3-Man League on Fridays with Bill Leidich. I will never forget the game where Bill and I both started with nine strikes and Henry didn’t have a strike and instead of being angry, he cracked joke after joke about owing nine drinks and becoming famous as the guy who had zero strikes when his two teammates both had 300 (which unfortunately we didn’t as it would have been a great story).

Last summer brought another classic Mark Henry story for me when he called one day to tell me about Hall of Fame wrestler Mark Henry coming to a Madison Mallards game.

I don’t follow wrestling at all and had no idea there was a famous wrestler and former World’s Strongest Man named Mark Henry, but it led to me writing this fun story.

After we got home from Baton Rouge I saw that the families of Mark and Cherise had put out this statement:
“Family Announcement about Mark and Cherise Henry
It is with profound sorrow that we share news of a tragic accident that occurred on May 2, 2025. Our beloved Mark Henry lost his life in the accident.
His wife, Cherise Henry, was critically injured and remains hospitalized in intensive care.
We are heartbroken by this sudden and devastating loss. We ask for your prayers for Cherise’s recovery and for strength as we navigate this incredibly difficult time.
Further information regarding memorial services for Mark and updates on Cherise’s condition will be provided when appropriate.
With heavy hearts, The Henry and Kuehl Family.”

The Madison Area USBC later made this post on its website:
"The Madison Area USBC extends our deepest condolences to the families of Mark and Cherise, and we share in the hope for Cherise’s recovery.
Mark Henry was beyond compare.
One of the greatest bowling promoters in our history, his presence on the microphone, behind the scenes, or in competition revealed Mark to be of one spirit—a spirit that endeared him to the regional bowling community and cemented his legacy on the lanes and in our hearts.
While best known for the annual Henry Hitter Classic 3-Man tournament, Mark was ever an innovator—credited with helping develop league concepts like the NFL and Basebowling leagues. He ran the annual MBA Hall of Fame “Pro-Am,” which paired our association Hall of Fame members (the “Pros”) with local bowlers (the “Ams”) in a tournament-like setting, though all in fun. Our association attempted to maintain the event after Mark, but… well, we’re not Mark Henry. He was forever bowling or thinking about bowling—creative, funny, and successful in all his endeavors.
At his Hall of Fame induction in 1999, he was credited with having bowled over 13,000 league games. None other than Mark Henry would freely promote his own dubious, though remarkable, accomplishment: In 1992, he rolled a 400, 500, 600, 700, and 800 series.
In the same week.
Mark’s honest smile, gregarious nature, and omnipresence on the lanes for these many decades will forever be carried by those fortunate enough to have shared in his journey.
He will be deeply missed, but his spirit will continue to inspire our bowling community for generations to come.
Farewell, Hitter."

I was on vacation from my real job as online producer/editor at the Wisconsin State Journal last week and again this week for the USBC Hall of Fame and Convention, but I let my colleagues know about the crash and reporter Barry Adams wrote this story.

The crash happened Friday morning shortly before 11 a.m. when the vehicle the Henrys were in was rear-ended by a semi on northbound Interstate 39 a little south of Rockford, WIFR.com reported in this story.

The crash remains under investigation and I have seen no updates with details on what happened.

Now is not the time for the fate of the Henry Hitter tournament to be decided. But at some point, it will be.

Finding someone to continue it seems like a no-brainer, but will it really be the Henry Hitter without Hitter?

Can it be morphed into the Hitter Memorial 3-Person tournament?

It’s hard to imagine Madison bowling without the Henry Hitter in some form, but it’s far more difficult to come to grips with Madison bowling without Hitter himself.

It’s simply heartbreaking.