Fred Hamilton Henderson Sr.

Fred Hamilton Henderson, Sr., 76, of The Villages, Florida passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 11, 2026, at home. He fought a 22-year long battle with Parkinson's Disease, but he never let it define him or slow him down. Through it all he kept a smile on his face and that same wit we all knew and loved. He faced each day with quiet strength and extraordinary courage and will forever be an inspiration to us all.

Fred graduated from Trinity High School in 1967. He studied Journalism at Point Park College and married the love of his life on April 17, 1971. Following their marriage, he joined the Army Reserves from 1971-1977. After basic training he returned to Point Park College to complete his bachelor's degree in 1974.

He committed to his Catholic Faith at St. Michael's in Levittown. He also became an usher and joined the Knights of Columbus, which he was honored to be a member of for 25 years. Bingo was his game that he worked at Prince of Peace for Charity. When he and his wife moved to The Villages, he joined the Hibernians after a DNA test showed he was 19% Irish. His final act of charity was donating his brain to Shands for Parkinson's Research.

Fred's career gave him the chance to live in multiple places: Washington, PA; Langhorne, PA; Levittown, PA; Jacksonville, AL; Ft Lauderdale, FL; Ormond Beach, FL; Destin, FL; Daytona Beach, FL and finally retired in 2012 and settled in The Villages. He also had the opportunity to travel internationally to Ecuador, Panama Canal, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy and more than we could count.

Fred was always active in sports; in high school he ran track for Trinity High School in Washington, PA. He continued his love of sports by playing golf, tennis, bowling and even tried his hand at pickleball. He was an active fan of Penn State watching and cheering them on every weekend. He belonged to the Pittsburgh Club and religiously watched the Steelers every Sunday; but Fred never discriminated against teams or sports. If it was on, he was watching and cheering for someone.

His favorite activities to cheer for were always those of his children and grandchildren-whether it was basketball, baseball, dance, volleyball, band, art or academics. They covered it all, and he was always everyone's biggest fan.

Fred was preceded in death by his mother, Josephine Jane Henderson; his father, Fred Chester Henderson; his sister, Joyce Henderson Thornburg; and his brother-in-law, Dave Thornburg. He is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Margaret Truax Henderson; his children, Fred Jr. (Erin), Christopher (Erica), and Heather Kitchel (Jason); and six grandchildren, Cole, Mason, Stevie, Johnnie, Logan, and Gabe.