William D.      Henderson

Decorated WWII

Veteran

The Reverend William D. Henderson, 85, died April 27, at the Windsor Rehabilitation and Health Center.

He is survived by his present wife, Alice Magnuson Henderson; his children, Deborah H. Barackman of Newtown, Martha Todd of Glenside, Penn., W. Douglas Henderson of Philadelphia, Ann Hart of Philadelphia, and Stephen G. Henderson of New York City.

Born in Hartford on July 19, 1921, the son of William G. and Agnes Ostling Henderson, Reverend Henderson graduated from the William H. Hall High School in West Hartford. He furthered his education at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., and Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill., and graduated, in 1950, from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

He valiantly served his country in the Army during World War II. He participated in campaigns in Italy and North Africa and he was honorably discharged, in 1945, with the rank of First Lieutenant. For his service, he was awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, The World War II Victory Medal, The Silver Star Medal, and The Military Order of the Purple Heart.

In 1946, he was married to his first wife, the former Katharine Marie Beatty, who died in 1988. Reverend Henderson served as pastor of churches in Manchester, N.H., Clinton, Conn., Stamford, Conn., Levittown, N.Y., and Elkhart, Ind., prior to his appointment, in 1977 as pastor of the Petersburgh Baptist Church in Petersburgh, N.Y.

He retired in 1986 and settled in Cambridge, N.Y. In 1990, he relocated to Windsor where he served as Minister of Visitation at the Calvary Church in West Hartford. His final years were spent with his family in Connecticut.

Funeral services will be private. Interment will be in Woodlands Cemetery in Cambridge.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Huguenot Fellowship/Boice Chair, in care of William Edgar, 501 Twickenham Road, Glenside PA 19038.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Thomas M. Barber Funeral Home of Petersburgh.

The Newtown Bee        May 4, 2007