Beth Elanie Henkel

Beth Elaine (Holland) Henkel, 73, of Bloomington and Indianapolis, Indiana, died on January 18, 2026 of complications from brain cancer. She was surrounded by her loving children in her final weeks, days, and hours, passing peacefully in her sleep. Beth was born in West Fargo, ND, on March 16, 1952 to Elmer and Mary (Baelz) Holland. The Hollands moved around the Midwest for her father’s work, with Beth’s happiest childhood memories coming from her years in Madison, WI. They landed in Muncie, IN, where she graduated from Muncie High School. In 1975 she graduated from Indiana University Bloomington with a BA in Spanish, and after working as a paralegal, started law school at what was then the IU School of Law - Indianapolis, graduating magna cum laude in 1981. During law school Beth met the love of her life, Dan Henkel, at Renaissance Studios in Indianapolis. They married in 1981 and had three children together, Sarah, Abby, and Tom. Beth and Dan were active in the Indianapolis arts scene as members of the Portfolio and Players Clubs, and Beth served on the board of the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation. The family was involved with Circle Unitarian Universalist (UU) Fellowship for many years, later joining the UU Church of Indianapolis. Dan and Beth moved to Bloomington in 2023 to be closer to their children. Following Dan’s death soon after their move, Beth found a welcoming home at the UU Church of Bloomington, serving on several committees and singing in the choir. As an attorney, Beth was an expert in Indiana property tax law. She specialized in litigation and local government tax policy, working as Deputy Attorney General in the 1990s and Commissioner for the Department of Local Government Finance in the early 2000s. She opened the Law Office of Beth Henkel LLC in 2009 and became active in the Solo & Small Firm Conference of the Indiana Bar Association and the Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program. She was awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash twice, from Governors O’Bannon and Kernan. Beth retired from practicing law in 2025, working and volunteering up until her diagnosis of glioblastoma in the summer. She delighted in using her legal expertise to volunteer for nonprofit organizations advancing human rights and the arts. Beth nurtured a lifelong love of music, especially singing, playing piano, and listening to Dan’s guitar music. Community service and philanthropy were central to her ethos, as was her practice in meditation and yoga. Beth and Dan were part of a meditation group that met every weekday beginning in the pandemic, where she became known for her steady meditation guidance. She completed yoga teacher training and was an enthusiastic reader of the Dalai Lama’s teachings. She traveled to protests in Washington, D.C., against the Vietnam War in the 1970s and against the incoming Trump administration in 2017. Beth and Dan supported many causes and advocated for the rights of LGBTQ people for decades. Beth was preceded in death by Dan, her husband of 42 years; her parents; siblings Judy Konkol and Jim Holland; and beloved in-laws Richard and Margery Henkel, Susan Johnson, and David and Gloria Johnson. She is survived by her children, Sarah Montgomery, Abby Henkel Roman (Jess), and Tom Henkel (Zandra Kalina); granddaughter Hannah Montgomery; and many dear nieces, nephews, and siblings-in-law. Beth was eager to meet her second granddaughter, baby Roman, due in May 2026. A celebration of Beth’s life will take place at the UU Church of Bloomington, Indiana, on March 14 at 2:00 pm, with a reception immediately following. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Beth’s name to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington ( https://uucb.churchcenter.com/giving?open-in-planningcenter-kiosk=1) the ACLU of Indiana (https://action.aclu.org/give/support-aclu-indiana)

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Beth Elanie Henkel

March 16, 1952 - January 18, 2026