'SunSan' ( Henning Wessel) has passed away
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- 5 minutes to kill
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So sad to hear this news. What great company Henning was over a meal and a quantity of beer.
He was a true gentleman with Class.
Sincere condolances to those close to him and to his many friends.
RIP Henning.
He was a true gentleman with Class.
Sincere condolances to those close to him and to his many friends.
RIP Henning.
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- I Have Not Been Outside Today
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I didn't know Henning either but he always took time to answer questions and was a very good presence on the forums.
I am sorry for all those who lost a close friend.
Regards, VC
I am sorry for all those who lost a close friend.
Regards, VC
- Hanno
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Very sad news indeed, I shall miss the great meals and cold drinks I had with him.
"I realized that If I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes."
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
just got the bad news.real sorry to hear this.yeah,really liked this guy.
rip
rip
He is missed
He is now in a better place
He is now in a better place
If I knew for certain that a person was coming to my house with the intent of doing me good, I would run for my life HDT
- Lucky Lucan
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Very sad news, Henning was a great guy, I'll miss him.
Romantic Cambodia is dead and gone. It's with McKinley in the grave.
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This is unbelievable news. He's too young for such departure.
RIP Henning.
RIP Henning.
the chosen land.
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I have been following this thread since it started.
I have made several attempts at posting a reply, but have not been able to focus on it.
Quite simply put, Henning was my friend and I will miss him dearly and deeply, I do not know how else I can say it.
Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Asia, The World and my own life will be sadder, poorer, places without him.
As I have made several abortive attempts to write something about Henning for this thread, I finally decided just to mention the first and the last times that I met him.
I first met Henning back in 2007, when he was living in Siem Reap. The company that I worked for back then had me, among other things, project managing a new business launch in Siem Reap, this resulted in me spending two weeks a month there for six months; for someone like me who hates Siem Reap town this was not much fun.
Prior to that I had known Henning as only SunSan, his user name on this forum, as well as the name of one of his Khmer staff, which he just chose as random when he signed up for an account here at K440. We had replied to each other in several threads, swapped Private Messages and had generally gotten to know each other through this website. Upon my next impending trip to Siem Reap, Henning and I exchanged phone numbers via PM and said that we should meet up for a beer when I was there.
During the first day I was working that trip to Siem Reap I was stuck all afternoon in meetings with the APSARA Authority, a Cambodian government department that is responsible for managing and taking care of the Angkor historical park and surrounding areas, a huge, slow-moving behemoth of a bureaucracy staffed by Khmers who are mostly related to each other and people higher up in the Royal Cambodian Government – needless to say it was a slow, protracted, painful afternoon …
During that afternoon I received several missed phone calls while I was stuck in these mind numbing meetings, a number that I did not recognise.
Around 5 O’clock I was leaving the office, with somewhat of a headache over all the wrangling, when the phone rang again, it was the same unrecognised number – I almost did not answer it, given the frustration of the afternoon and the oncoming storm of a headache that was brewing – but I did and it was Henning, he suggested meeting up for a few drinks and then possibly dinner, he would meet me outside the U-Care at the end of Pub Street in half-an-hour.
That first evening he took me to several bars, introduced me to some expats that were living in Siem Reap; as opposed to the smell, hippy, backpackers that frequented the most obvious bars in town and then we ended up for dinner somewhere in a Khmer beer garden, some nondescript place with tin tables, plastic chairs and 4,000 riel jugs of Anchor Beer, but we laughed and we laughed and we laughed.
After that initial meeting Henning and I would always get together during my monthly exiles’ to Siem Reap, he made those trips that I hated so much more bearable.
When he called me later to tell me that he was moving with work to Phnom Penh it was indeed good news.
The last time that I saw Henning was my birthday a couple of months ago. A few of us had gotten together for a Sunday Brunch; an event that many of us enjoy here in Phnom Penh, over the years we (including Henning) had taken advantage of the various Sunday Brunch deals and discounts that had been springing up around town over the past few years; The Intercontinental Hotel, Raffles La Royale and lastly, the stage for this particular Brunch, Bistro Romano in the Naga World Casino.
I was quite surprised when I saw Henning, I had known that he had not been well and had not seen him in a couple of months, we had tried to meet up, messaged each other, but somehow just seemed to keep missing each other. This time it was clear that he had made an extra special effort to come, he was much thinner than before, paler and walked with the fragility of a man much older than us.
However when he said hello, his voice was still booming and still sounded full of the joy that it had always held.
The Brunch, as usual, lasted from 11:00AM to about 4:00PM, with much eating and drinking and making merry. I did however notice that Henning was not drinking, was not smoking and ate very, very, little. He claimed that he was still feeling unwell, but should be okay in a month or so.
During the last month we messaged each other several times, informing the other that we were going out and that if the other was free we should catch up – “Will be at Elephant Bar Friday after work for Happy Hour” or “On the way to Garage after work” et cetera, et cetera.
But somehow or another we kept missing each other. If only we had known, if only we had had more time.
Rest in Peace my friend, Rest in Peace.
During my years in Cambodia I have had to say goodbye to more people than in all the rest of my years before coming here, this can be a hard Country for us expatriates, and after this, it will just be harder still.
My thoughts and prayers go out to his family at this difficult time.
God Speed Henning
I have made several attempts at posting a reply, but have not been able to focus on it.
Quite simply put, Henning was my friend and I will miss him dearly and deeply, I do not know how else I can say it.
Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Asia, The World and my own life will be sadder, poorer, places without him.
As I have made several abortive attempts to write something about Henning for this thread, I finally decided just to mention the first and the last times that I met him.
I first met Henning back in 2007, when he was living in Siem Reap. The company that I worked for back then had me, among other things, project managing a new business launch in Siem Reap, this resulted in me spending two weeks a month there for six months; for someone like me who hates Siem Reap town this was not much fun.
Prior to that I had known Henning as only SunSan, his user name on this forum, as well as the name of one of his Khmer staff, which he just chose as random when he signed up for an account here at K440. We had replied to each other in several threads, swapped Private Messages and had generally gotten to know each other through this website. Upon my next impending trip to Siem Reap, Henning and I exchanged phone numbers via PM and said that we should meet up for a beer when I was there.
During the first day I was working that trip to Siem Reap I was stuck all afternoon in meetings with the APSARA Authority, a Cambodian government department that is responsible for managing and taking care of the Angkor historical park and surrounding areas, a huge, slow-moving behemoth of a bureaucracy staffed by Khmers who are mostly related to each other and people higher up in the Royal Cambodian Government – needless to say it was a slow, protracted, painful afternoon …
During that afternoon I received several missed phone calls while I was stuck in these mind numbing meetings, a number that I did not recognise.
Around 5 O’clock I was leaving the office, with somewhat of a headache over all the wrangling, when the phone rang again, it was the same unrecognised number – I almost did not answer it, given the frustration of the afternoon and the oncoming storm of a headache that was brewing – but I did and it was Henning, he suggested meeting up for a few drinks and then possibly dinner, he would meet me outside the U-Care at the end of Pub Street in half-an-hour.
That first evening he took me to several bars, introduced me to some expats that were living in Siem Reap; as opposed to the smell, hippy, backpackers that frequented the most obvious bars in town and then we ended up for dinner somewhere in a Khmer beer garden, some nondescript place with tin tables, plastic chairs and 4,000 riel jugs of Anchor Beer, but we laughed and we laughed and we laughed.
After that initial meeting Henning and I would always get together during my monthly exiles’ to Siem Reap, he made those trips that I hated so much more bearable.
When he called me later to tell me that he was moving with work to Phnom Penh it was indeed good news.
The last time that I saw Henning was my birthday a couple of months ago. A few of us had gotten together for a Sunday Brunch; an event that many of us enjoy here in Phnom Penh, over the years we (including Henning) had taken advantage of the various Sunday Brunch deals and discounts that had been springing up around town over the past few years; The Intercontinental Hotel, Raffles La Royale and lastly, the stage for this particular Brunch, Bistro Romano in the Naga World Casino.
I was quite surprised when I saw Henning, I had known that he had not been well and had not seen him in a couple of months, we had tried to meet up, messaged each other, but somehow just seemed to keep missing each other. This time it was clear that he had made an extra special effort to come, he was much thinner than before, paler and walked with the fragility of a man much older than us.
However when he said hello, his voice was still booming and still sounded full of the joy that it had always held.
The Brunch, as usual, lasted from 11:00AM to about 4:00PM, with much eating and drinking and making merry. I did however notice that Henning was not drinking, was not smoking and ate very, very, little. He claimed that he was still feeling unwell, but should be okay in a month or so.
During the last month we messaged each other several times, informing the other that we were going out and that if the other was free we should catch up – “Will be at Elephant Bar Friday after work for Happy Hour” or “On the way to Garage after work” et cetera, et cetera.
But somehow or another we kept missing each other. If only we had known, if only we had had more time.
Rest in Peace my friend, Rest in Peace.
During my years in Cambodia I have had to say goodbye to more people than in all the rest of my years before coming here, this can be a hard Country for us expatriates, and after this, it will just be harder still.
My thoughts and prayers go out to his family at this difficult time.
God Speed Henning
"We, the sons of John Company, have arrived"
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Absolutely lovely man. Had some wonderful long drinking sessions at the old Munich Beer Garden with him. Polite and warm. A gentlemen.
I am completely shocked to hear this news. Condolences to his family, and his other expat 'family' here in Phnom Penh.
I am completely shocked to hear this news. Condolences to his family, and his other expat 'family' here in Phnom Penh.
Haha - my money’s on Playboy
- Starving Pelican
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Terrible news. Henning was a personal friend and my sentiments towards him have been mirrored many times by other posters in this thread. In short, an absolutely stand-up guy.
Andy - if you're in touch with Henning's sister, please keep us posted as to whether (and if so, when) Henning's ashes will be scattered in Cambodia. I'll endeavour to make the trip to Cambodia for that.
Andy - if you're in touch with Henning's sister, please keep us posted as to whether (and if so, when) Henning's ashes will be scattered in Cambodia. I'll endeavour to make the trip to Cambodia for that.
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Yes, she mentioned March in the correspondence that I posted. I have some updates:Starving Pelican wrote:Andy - if you're in touch with Henning's sister, please keep us posted as to whether (and if so, when) Henning's ashes will be scattered in Cambodia. I'll endeavour to make the trip to Cambodia for that.
The family are following this thread closely and learning a lot that they never knew about Henning. All the kind words are helping them enormously.
Henning's funeral is today (Monday) - I don't have the actual time, however.
I had been concerned about Mint, his Thai 'significant other' whom I had never met and was worried that she might have been left unprepared and alone. All I really knew about her was that she hardly spoke any English or Khmer. It turns out that both Henning's family and work colleagues have been looking after her, and that she's due to return to Bangkok at the end of the month. I now have a phone number for her, so my wife, who speaks Thai, will call and ensure all is okay.
RIP dear friend Henning
I came, I argued, I'm out
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Good to know.andyinasia wrote:I had been concerned about Mint, his Thai 'significant other' whom I had never met and was worried that she might have been left unprepared and alone. All I really knew about her was that she hardly spoke any English or Khmer. It turns out that both Henning's family and work colleagues have been looking after her, and that she's due to return to Bangkok at the end of the month. I now have a phone number for her, so my wife, who speaks Thai, will call and ensure all is okay.
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