SUZANNE THACKER HENDERSON
June 27, 1946 - Oct. 8, 2017
Suzanne T. Henderson was born June 27, 1946 as Mary Suzanne Thacker. She passed away October 8, 2017 at her home in Murrieta, California, surrounded by family. Her life was cut short following a valiant fight with cancer.
Suzanne was born in San Diego, California to Percie Canon Thacker, Jr. and Mary Elizabeth Thacker. She was raised in El Centro, CA with her younger sister Margaret Jean. Her parents lived in San Diego for a short period of time following their marriage before her father Percie, a Cal Berkley Grad and engineer for aircraft manufacturer Convair, was called home to take over Pioneer Truck & Transfer Company (a.k.a. Pioneer Mayflower and later Pioneer Van & Storage) - the family business which was originally founded in 1909.
Suzanne attended Local Schools including Harding Elementary, Wilson Junior High and graduated with Central Union High’s class of 1964. Suzanne attended Imperial Valley College and then San Diego State University for summer school before heading east to Indiana to attend Purdue University, where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Food Management. She was also a proud member of the Sigma Kappa Sorority.
After graduation Suzanne married U.S. Army Officer, George Henderson of Vermont. They were stationed in Germany briefly before settling in New York where George began his lifelong career with IBM. He was assigned to support the mainframe computer division.
At that time, Suzanne was a registered dietitian, employed by Hoffman & LaRoche at their corporate offices, presiding over company lunches and dinners and overseeing cafeteria operations. While working in New York City and commuting from New Jersey, Suzanne earned her Master’s in Business Administration from New York University. IBM soon transferred them to Dallas, Texas where Suzanne became an H.R. Manager for Tenneco Corporation.
At the whim of the company and the fast-moving world of technology, IBM next sent Suzanne and George to Atlanta, Georgia. While there, Suzanne continued to work in HR for office furniture manufacturer Geiger-Brickel. They remained in Atlanta until George’s retirement from IBM.
In 2001, she and George moved to California to be closer to her family. They located in San Diego at first and then, following their subsequent divorce, Suzanne found her way to Murrieta, where she became the primary caregiver for her ailing mother. They resided together in the gated community “The Colony.”
While living in Murrieta, Suzanne once again returned to school and acquired a degree in education from Azusa Pacific University. She worked part-time until her passing as a special education teacher in the Temecula and Murrieta School Districts.
Shortly after her mother’s death in 2006, Suzanne met the love of her life, Allen Holec, at The Colony. Allen became her devoted partner for the next 10 years. His recent passing took place only three months before hers.
Suzanne was a member of the Grace Presbyterian Church of Temecula and enjoyed singing in the choir. She was an excellent cook, pianist, organist and an avid bridge player - playing at least twice a week with bridge groups in her community.
She is preceded in death by her parents, ex-husband George Henderson and partner Allen Holec. She is survived by her sister Margaret Jean (Richard) Pray of El Cajon; nephew Aaron (Hartnoll) Popejoy and great-nephews, Thacker, Oliver and Spencer of El Centro; niece Laura Suzanne (Bob) Popejoy-Henry and great-niece Aubrey of San Diego, as well as by Allen’s daughter, Michelle (Barry) Trent of LaMesa, and son, Rustin Holec of Santee.
A private ceremony will be held on November 4, 2017 in San Diego. Close friends and colleagues may contact Laura at (619) 251-7673 for more information on attending.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Suzanne’s name to the American Cancer Society and the Grace Presbyteri- an Church of Temecula.