William R. Henderson Sr.

ALLIANCE - William R. Henderson Sr., 79, died Friday, June 17, 2011, at the Good Samaritan Health Care Center in Alliance.
Funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 21, at the United Methodist Church in Alliance. Rev. Dr. Charles Kathurima will officiate. Burial will be in the Alliance Cemetery. Following the burial service friends are invited to come to the Alliance Country Club for coffee and dessert.
Visitation will be Monday June 20 from 1 to 8 p.m. at the Bates-Gould Funeral Home.
A memorial fund has been established to the Box Butte County 4-H Council to benefit the building of the new 4-H and FFA Livestock Barn at the fairgrounds in Hemingford. Memorials can be sent to the Box Butte Extension Office, 415 Black Hills, Alliance NE 69301. Another suggested memorial is the United Methodist Church in Alliance.
Online condolences may be left at www.batesgould.com with Bates-Gould Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Bill was born to Earl and Kathryn (Yost) Henderson, Nov. 10, 1931, at his grandparent's home north of Scottsbluff. He attended 11 years of school in rural Sioux County, graduating from Sunflower High School in 1948. Bill married Barbara Jane Hood, May 11, 1952, in Scottsbluff. He ranched in Sioux and Box Butte Counties with his father and brother, raising Hereford cattle under the Earl Henderson & Sons banner. Following his father's death, Bill and his brother, Jack, ranched together until the ranch was divided in recent years. At the time of his death he ranched with his sons Bill Jr. and Doug.
His first grandchild, Jeri, named him "Pa." A kind gentle man, he was as playful as he was helpful. After a long day of work he loved nothing more than a bonfire in his driveway, complete with hotdogs and marshmallows. This was followed by homemade ice cream he churned, surrounded by youngsters, in the basement. Bill loved checking windmills, fixing fence, feeding 4-H animals, washing calves, attending school and church events, and helping in the roping arena. The grandkids remember Pa teaching them to drive the pickup and hay machinery. His favorite snack was root beer and a chocolate candy bar. He was never too busy to catch a pollywog, help fill the bird feeder, or take a nephew snipe hunting. Bill enjoyed watching birds and other wildlife. He loved mornings, waking the family with "Quick like a fox, we're burning daylight!" He never thought a rabbit's foot was very lucky-especially for the rabbit and often wondered why God put two mosquitoes on Noah's Ark. He was not against pie for breakfast.
A 4-H member himself, his proudest honor was being a Box Butte County 4-H leader. Bill became a 4-H leader when his oldest son joined in 1962, remaining one until 1985. At one time the Barrel Spring's 4-H Club was the county's largest livestock club. Bill's favorite 4-H activity was helping load a semi with 4-H animals and heading to the Nebraska State Fair or Ak-Sar-Ben with a caravan of 4-H families. Few things sparked a smile like having a past 4-H member intro-duce their children to him and explain they were 4-H members too. He was president and treasurer of the Box Butte County 4-H Council.
Bill served on the board of directors for the Sandhill's Cattle Association. He was a member of the Nebraska and American Hereford Associations. Bill and his family showed Hereford cattle on both a state and national level from the On Top Bull Sale in Alliance to Denver, Omaha and Chicago. As a young man he enjoyed judging cattle shows and traveling the great Hereford ranches of Nebraska on sale selection committees. Bill served as president of the local school board, secretary of the On Top Bull Sale and chairman of the election board. He was a Master Mason of Alliance Lodge 183, receiving his 50-year pin in 2010. He was member of the Elks for more than 60 years. Bill received the Rural Leadership Award from the Alliance Area of Commerce in 1972 and was named an Honorary FFA Chapter Farmer of the Alliance FFA. He believed his word and a handshake were as good as a signed contract.
Survivors include his wife of 59 years, Barbara; sons, William R. Jr. (Pam), E. Douglas (Sally) all of Alliance; daughters, Ann Henderson and Carla Berglund (Robb) both of Mesa, Ariz. The lights of his life were his grandchildren, Jeri Massie, Gary Henderson, Shea, Sage and Cody Henderson, Trey and Micayla Berglund and a great-grandson, Anthony Massie. Survivors also include his sister, Mary Jane (Tom) Gray of Vale, Ore. and many nieces and nephews and cousins.
Preceding Bill in death were his parents, Earl and Kate, stepmother, Lee Henderson and brother, John (Jack) Henderson.