Shelley L. Henderson - Obituary

helley L. Henderson, age 89, died under hospice care at her home in Annapolis, MD on March 10, 2018, of urothelial cancer. The former Shelley Ann Lindner, a native of Cincinnati, OH, graduated from Lotspeich and Hillsdale schools. She earned her BA from Smith College. After graduation, she worked for House and Garden magazine in NYC. She married LTJG John M. Henderson in 1952, and accompanied him on Navy assignments on the east and west coasts, in Spain, and in Washington, DC. In 1976, Shelley began employment in the Fellowship Office of the National Research Council from which she retired in 1998. She was a founding member of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, VA and The Dominion Guild of Northern Virginia. A dedicated volunteer for many organizations, she especially loved The Rock Spring Garden Club of Arlington and All Hallows Guild of the Washington National Cathedral. In 1999 the Hendersons moved to the Ginger Cove retirement community in Annapolis, MD. Shelley continued gardening and served as a member and Chairman of the Residents Club Committee, taking special responsibility for fresh floral decoration in the community’s public spaces. She was a member of St. James Parish (Episcopal) of Lothian, MD. Shelley is the beloved wife of retired Navy Captain John M. Henderson; mother of Linda Henderson (Glen Atwood), Candace Smith (Neel), Sylvia Henderson and the late Ellen Briggs; mother-in-law of R. Todd Briggs and grandmother of Sarah-Neel Smith (John Cardellino), Annecca Smith (Patrick Scully) and Samantha Briggs. A memorial service will be held at Ginger Cove, 4000 River Crescent Drive, Annapolis, MD, in Friendship Hall, on a Friday, April 27 at 2pm. A reception will be held immediately following Shelley's memorial service. Interment will be in the U.S. Naval Academy Columbarium. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Ginger Cove Foundation http://www.gingercove.com/about-us/charitable-giving/ - .WqWBtmaZPVo, or the Smith College Fund https://www.smith.edu/about-smith/giving/smith-fund. Online condolences and tributes may be offered using the link on the left side of this page.