George H. Henderson

George Henderson, a resident of West Yarmouth and Yarmouthport from 1990 to 2012, died January 1, 2013, at Framingham Union Hospital after a brief illness. He was eighty-seven. George was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on March 31, 1925, and was the second son of the late Claude and Marie (Schiemenz) Henderson. George graduated from Pittsfield High School in 1942, where he was captain of the basketball team. He was selected as one of the Western Massachusetts Honor Roll of Schoolboy Hoopsters and inducted to Pittsfield Hoop Club Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009. He graduated from the University of Vermont in 1948, with a degree in Economics. At Vermont he was a varsity basketball player for three years. During World War II he served with the U.S. Marines on Guadalcanal and Peleliu in the Southwest Pacific. He was selected for officer training and spent his sophomore year at Dartmouth College. As young teenagers George met Shirley A. Cook at Bucksteep Manor, a Christian summer camp in Becket, Massachusetts. In 1946 George and Shirley were married in Springfield, Massachusetts, by the bride's uncle, the Reverend John Brett Fort. They settled in Natick, Massachusetts, and happily lived there with their family for forty years. He was employed by the B.F. Goodrich Footwear Company in Watertown, Massachusetts, for twenty years and as a purchasing agent for fourteen years at John Hancock Financial Services in Boston. George was a warden for nine years at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Natick, and on the original board that formed the United Parish of Natick. He received the Rector's Cross for outstanding leadership and devotion to St. Paul's in 1974. After retirement, George and Shirley moved to Yarmouthport, Massachusetts. He was extremely proud to be a life member of the Marine Corps League Cape & Islands Detachment #955 and Cape Cod Retired Men's Club. George was an active member of St. David's Episcopal Church Scholarship Program for many years and volunteered his time at the Yarmouth VNA store. He also enjoyed wintering in Myrtle Beach with Shirley, woodcrafts, gardening, golf, bowling, and playing cards. In addition to his parents, George was predeceased by his wife, Shirley A. Henderson; his son, Paul A. Henderson; and his brother, Andrew C. Henderson. He leaves his children, Peter G. Henderson and his wife, Linda, of Fremont, California, Ann E. Thayer and her husband, Paul, of Shrewsbury, and Philip C. Henderson and his wife, Laurel, of North Attleboro; grandchildren, Kelly and Matthew Henderson, Julie and Christopher Thayer, Elizabeth and Melissa Henderson; great-grandson, Damian Hopkins; sister-in-law, Nancy Murdock; and loving nieces and nephews. Family and friends will honor and remember George's life by gathering at St. David's Episcopal Church, 205 Old Main Street, South Yarmouth, on January 12, 2013, where his Memorial Service will be celebrated at 1:30 p.m. The Rev. Armand Kreft, Rector, will officiate. A collation will follow in Nelson Hall. Interment will be private. Those who wish to honor George's memory may contribute to St. David's Episcopal Church, Scholarship Fund, 205 Old Main Street, South Yarmouth, 02664.