Raymond A. Henderson

1923 - 2016

Raymond A. Henderson left us quietly the morning of August 8th. He was blessed to have all his children and his wife and many of his grandchildren at his side as he passed. Ray was born on May 28th, 1923. He was the second child of Raymond and Pauline Henderson. When he was still young, his family moved to Denver from Oklahoma and then on to Franklin, Nebraska, the smalltown backdrop of Ray's childhood. From a young age, Ray dreamed of becoming a pilot. Although he was always the dutiful son, studious and helpful at the family shop, this fascination with flight would define his life. As a child, Ray was always sketching planes, a hobby that grew into a lifelong passion and joy for drawing. Although he read widely and hungrily throughout his life, Ray always returned to his first and favorite topic, aviation. Even today, the stack of aviation magazines on his bedside table stands testament to the fact that, until the day he died, his thoughts were drifting ever skyward. There has never been a shortage of boys who dream of flight, yet remain on the ground. Not Ray. In September of 1941, he dropped out of the University of Nebraska to enlist in the air force. Two years later, Ray received his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant at Luke Field, Arizona, before being stationed in France and Germany, where he flew troop carriers. With the end of the war, Ray returned to his family, now in Phillipsburg, KS, where he spent the next few years working at his father's store before being called back to fly in Korea in 1951, where Ray flew missions in his Lockheed F84 fighter. On leave before shipping out to Korea, Raymond met Jeannine, the love of his life and the woman with whom he would spend over two thirds of his life. They were married on his return from Korea on June 28th, 1953. Between 1953 and 1958, they owned and operated a dime store in Salina, Kansas, during which time Jeannine gave birth to two boys, Scott and Michael. As a boy, Ray often vacationed in the Colorado Rockies, fashioning a deep love for those mountains. This love brought him and his young family to Broomfield in 1958, where they opened a new store and welcomed their daughter, Kim, into the family. In 1966 they moved again, to Boulder. In 1975, Ray opened up the property management business that he would build into a successful company and run until his retirement. A longtime member of the Boulder Area Real Estate Association, Ray enjoyed his work and was proud of his success, but took the greatest pleasure in supporting his family and the fact that he could count many of his clients lifelong friends. Although Ray was never much of a joiner, he was a devout Christian Scientist and member of the First Christian Science Church of Boulder. Raymond will be sorely missed by friends and family. He is predeceased by his parents, Raymond and Pauline Henderson; and his older sister, Phyllis Krauss; and is survived by his wife, Jeannine; his children, Scott and Michael (Ann), and Kim (Drew); and his grandchildren, Tori, Kelsey, Connor, Caley, Meghan and Patrick. We all take solace in knowing that he has returned to the skies he loved so well. A memorial service will be held 1pm this Thursday at Cairn Church, 1700 Stonehenge Dr, Lafayette, CO. Memorial contributions may be made to either TRU Hospice Care through mortuary website, greenwoodmyersfuneral.com, or by check to the First Christian Science Church of Boulder.