Charles A. Henderson

1947 - 2018

Charles A. (Chuck) Henderson, MD, highly respected physician and loving father and grandfather, died on Sunday, May 6, 2018 at his home in Atlanta surrounded by his family. He was 70 years old.

Chuck was born in 1947 in Pittsburgh, PA to Charles and Helen Henderson. He received his graduate degree in Chemistry from Allegheny College where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and went on to earn his Medical Degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He completed an internship and residency at Presbyterian University Hospital in Pittsburgh and a two-year fellowship in Hematology and Oncology at the Ohio State University Hospital in Columbus before moving to Atlanta in 1978.

Dr. Henderson served the greater Atlanta area as an accomplished Hematologist and Oncologist for 38 years. He approached his work with passion, enthusiasm and dedication, and as a cancer survivor himself, his patients valued his friendship, kindness and compassion. He co-founded Peachtree Hematology Oncology Associates (now known as Piedmont Cancer Institute, P.C.) in 1987 and served as President of the practice for many years. He was honored as a Top Doctor in the Atlanta area many times, served as Chairman of Piedmont Hospital's Cancer Committee, Chief of its Hematology-Oncology Section and Chairman of the Institutional Review Board. He also served as President of the Georgia Society of Clinical Oncology, was a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Committee and served on the Board of the Georgia Center for Oncology Research and Education. Following his retirement in 2016, his practice paid tribute to his decades of service by naming him Physician Emeritus.

Chuck was an avid runner, reader and traveler, history buff and music lover. A lifelong sports fan, Chuck and his close friends recently kicked off their 28th season of rotisserie baseball. Above all, he took great pride in his loving relationships with his children and grandchildren.

Chuck fought his successful battle with cancer with fortitude and an enduring positivity that was an inspiration to all who knew him. For the last ten months, he fought his illness with that same quiet strength and stoicism, while maintaining the sense of selflessness that defined him.

In a tribute following his cancer diagnosis in 2004, a group of his patients described him as follows:

To his colleagues, he is a champion for the cause.

To patients, he is a healer as well as a friend.

To cancer researchers, he is well respected.

To those he hired for the practice, he transferred his values.

He has touched many lives and changed many more than he knows,

We want him to know that we are there for him, as he has been for us, now and always.

Chuck is survived by his sons Brian (and wife Sarah) of Darien, CT and Patrick (and wife Erica) of Atlanta, GA, their mother Debra Henderson and his four grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister Nancy Greenwood (and husband Bob) of Wayne, PA.

A memorial service will be held at Holy Spirit Catholic Church (4465 Northside Drive NW) at 11am on Friday June 15th with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, Chuck's family requests that donations be made to Destroy Pancreatic Cancer (http://destroypancreaticcancer.org/donate).

Henderson , Charles A.