Oceana County is home to hundreds of hometown heroes; people who go about their regular days, with no other agenda than to do the right thing. On Thursday, Oct. 8 two of these hometown heroes, Tucker Henrickson of Shelby and Heather Hallack of Hart, were recognized for their acts of courage by Oceana County Sheriff Craig Mast. Both, when in the middle of their regular days, were faced with an emergency and acted quickly on behalf of someone else.
Henrickson displayed incredible bravery during a tragic swimming incident on July 14, 2026, when his father, Mark Henrickson Jr., passed away unexpectedly. Of Henrickson, Mast said, “Obviously, Tucker experienced a tragedy that day and was in a tough situation, but with all that was going on, he really persevered, followed directions, was able to give our dispatchers critical information, and was very brave in doing so. Tucker went above and beyond what any kid his age could probably do. He was a true hero. Tucker's dad certainly would be proud of his actions that day.”
The Bravery Award was signed by both Mast and Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole. Oceana County Deputy and Shelby Public School Resource Officer Tim Simon was on hand to say a few words and stand with Henrickson as he received his award.
Mast next presented a Lifesaving Award from the Michigan Sheriff’s Association to Heather Hallack of Hart. Mast said that before the award was approved, it had to go before two boards; one being an awards board made up of sheriffs from all across the state.
Mast described the events leading up to Hallack’s heroic efforts, saying, “On July 28, 2025, Heather Hallack and her family were attending a 4-H meeting with several other families in rural Elbridge Township. While they were there, Ms. Jodi Guikema collapsed. Ms. Hallack, as a registered nurse, took immediate action to begin CPR. Oceana Sheriff's Office Deputy Brett Hutson arrived after with an AED and administered three different shocks, ultimately saving Ms. Guikema’s life. Without the immediate actions of Ms. Hallack and Deputy Hutson, the outcome would have likely been very different. Since the incident, Ms. Hallack began a fundraising campaign to get AEDs in all county patrol vehicles. She, along with others, set up a donation account at a local bank and reached out to several community groups. In response, $36,964 was raised. Had Ms. Hallack not been trained and responded with high-quality CPR, it is likely that without the later use of an AED on the scene, a life would have been lost that day.”
Mast wished to thank all of the individuals and groups who donated to the project, including the Women Who Care, the Oceana Community Foundation, Silver Lake Recreation Association, and Karen McWilliams, who made a substantial donation in memory of her friend and fellow nurse, Dawn.
Undersheriff Ryan Schiller reported that every county patrol car is now equipped with brand new AEDs that are responding to calls every day. He also expressed how grateful he was that the effort was driven by Hallack and that he didn’t have to be involved in any of the fundraising. “They did all this on their own. I didn't have to go door to door or anything like that. So it was wonderful. It was a great thing,” Schiller said. “The icing on the cake is that Jodi is with us here today.”
“We're so thankful you can be here,” Mast said to Guikema.
