William Alexander McHenry III

William Alexander McHenry III, of Raleigh, North Carolina, died Friday, April 10, 2026, in Raleigh. He was 44.

Alex was born in Elyria, Ohio, to Sandy McHenry and the late Peter Ross McHenry. The family moved from Bay Village, Ohio, to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1986. Alex entered the Highly Academically Gifted Program in second grade, where he gathered a coterie of lifelong friends. He graduated from R.J. Reynolds High School and Wake Forest University, then settled in Raleigh, where he managed the finances of clinical trials for a series of global companies.

Alex married Cristen Vaughn on April 11, 2019, in Primland, Virginia, and their honeymoon carried them from Europe to Mackinac Island. Their son, Peter Vaughn McHenry, was born on June 19, 2020.

On his sixteenth birthday, Alex's parents gave him a vintage BMW E30, and under his father's tutelage he learned to tune it and repair it. A lasting passion for machines took hold. He worked on cars and boats throughout his life with a mechanic's skill and an enthusiast's heart. He bestowed the love of machines to his young son Peter, as his father had to him. He restored a motorboat with his father and built a solar-powered treehouse with his son. Alex read widely, followed current events closely, and welcomed any conversation that went deep.

The outdoors called to Alex from boyhood. He played soccer, lacrosse, and ice hockey; skied, snowboarded, hiked, cycled, and camped. He spent a year working at Big Sky in Montana. Peter became his hiking companion. Last month, the two of them explored the peaks of the North Carolina mountains. Every summer since the 1980s, Alex returned to the family cottage on Lake Michigan, working at the local cafe as a young man, making friendships that spanned decades, and introducing his son Peter to the magic of Bay View. Alex also volunteered in Peter's kindergarten classroom and mentored a Science Olympiad team.

Alex's greatest legacy was his ability to see the best in others, guiding and supporting them through life's transitions with a warmth that made everyone feel seen and heard. He brought others together, nurturing relationships that spanned decades and turned strangers into family.

Alex was preceded in death by his father, Peter. He is survived by his son, Peter; his mother, Sandy; his sister, Ashley; his brothers, John and Stuart; Stuart's wife, Maiza, and their son, Miles; and Cristen Vaughn.

A celebration of Alex's life will be held April 25, 2026, in Durham. For details, call (336) 830-4577 or email [email protected]. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Peter's college fund at backer.com/peterscollegefund505.