Wellington Smith Henderson, Jr.

November 21, 1931- September 26, 2020

Wellington Smith Henderson, Jr., known as “Hendy”, grew up in Hillsborough, California and was the only child of Harriet and Wellington Henderson. He spent summers at Drakesbad, a camp near Mount Lassen, where his parents introduced him to fly fishing and the great outdoors.

As a boy Hendy fell ill with tuberculosis which threatened his life. His strong character and resilience pulled him through. Hendy always carried a deep sense of gratitude for his recovery. He persevered to become a gifted tennis player. Known for going “all in” to his passions, one year as a teen he played tennis every single day of the year. Hendy’s father was a descendent of early Nevada settlers, so the cowboy spirit was in Hendy’s genes. The Thacher School was a perfect fit, where Hendy excelled in the horse program and was captain of the tennis team. Later Hendy became president of Thacher’s board of Trustees and was thrilled when his son Charles and grandson Clinton graduated from there.

Hendy earned a degree in Chemical engineering from Princeton University in 1953. He remained close to his Princeton friends and attended reunions over the years.

He then served as an officer in the US Navy on a destroyer named the Samuel N. Moore in the Pacific Fleet. Hendy was a fire control, gunnery and antisubmarine officer and also stood watch on the bridge, in control of the ship. When he departed the US Navy in 1956 he was third in command of the destroyer. While on leave from the Navy, Hendy met Catherine Von Warton. They loved skiing together at Sugar Bowl with their group of friends known as “The Boomers”. Catherine and Hendy married in 1957 and moved to Cambridge where Hendy earned a master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from MIT.

Hendy and Cathy returned to San Francisco and had their first child, Charles. They then moved to Tacoma, Washington where Hendy worked for Stauffer Chemical. There they had their second son, James. They settled in Marin County and Hendy transferred to the Richmond branch of Stauffer Chemical. They had three more children, Joan, Elena and Mark. Their home on the side of Mount Tamalpias in Kentwoodlands was a bustling hub of activity and fun energy.

Hendy changed careers from engineering to finance in 1965. He did a financial training program at Wells Fargo Bank and joined his father’s investment firm, Henderson Boston Company. Hendy later started his own firm called Henderson Investment Management.

Hendy gave his five children the gift of adventure in the great outdoors. Hendy and Cathy built a home at Sugar Bowl and took their family skiing most winter weekends. Hendy took his kids backpacking in the Sierras every summer. He was known for his unbelievably full backpacks, carrying fresh steaks and barbeque tools so the group could eat like kings. He did this all with a smile. His children recall having Dad teach them how to catch a rainbow trout with a dry fly, cook the fish in lemon and butter, and eat it “harmonica style” by the campfire.

Hendy and Cathy divorced in 1982 which was a difficult time. Before long, Hendy and Cathy became close friends again, which was due in no small part to Hendy’s enlightened and benevolent character. Hendy and Cathy retained a great mutual respect for each other, and their friendship benefited their large family for the rest of their days.

Hendy became passionate about health and wellness during the early 1980s. He took up running and joined a Marin running group, the Tamalpa Runners. They trained on the track during the week, and did weekend runs on Mount Tam. Hendy ran many marathons, including Boston and New York. In true Hendy style, he pushed the limits beyond marathons and took up “ultra- running”. He joined the Marin Ultra Runners and spent many evenings running through the Marin water district with this group and all having pizza dinner together in San Anselmo after. The trails around Bon Tempe Lake became one of Hendy’s favorite places.

Soon marathons became training runs for Hendy to prepare for Ultra runs. He completed the 100 mile Western States Endurance run three times, his best finish time was just under 28 hours when he was 60 years old. Hendy made his ultra run support crew teams like a party by including his family and friends who cheered him on in awe. Once, on the finishing mile of one of the grueling 100 mile runs, Hendy turned to his son Mark, who was crewing for him on that final stretch, and said, “It doesn’t get any better than this!” Hendy continued his family’s tradition of being passionate about art. His great- grandfather founded the Minneapolis Walker Art Center, and his mother was a patron of SF MOMA and a collector of modern art. Hendy collected works from local emerging artists. Hendy’s light filled San Francisco home was a perfect space for displaying his art. A gracious and generous host, Hendy held many events for family and friends in his vibrant home. Hendy loved to take his children on adventures around the world, from skiing in the French Alps to exploring Mongolia. One year Hendy was given tickets to Wimbeldon from his godmother, tennis star Helen Wills. Hendy came up with one of his “wild ideas” and, with his signature twinkle in his eye and mischievous smile on his face, he said, “Let’s all go to Wimbledon and then on to Kenya for a safari!” Hendy was a visionary and made this inspiration and many of his other wild ideas a reality for his appreciative family. Hendy was very honest and never had an unkind word to say about anyone. He was a well- read life long learner. He could talk with precision on a varied array of subjects – from Italian Opera to political science, from macroeconomics to Middle Eastern History to Tibetan Buddism. Yet Hendy was quietly humble with his knowledge, never dogmatic. Only when you took the time to dive into a particular topic with him would you find his amazing and enlightening depth. Hendy took up golf in his sixties. As with his other pursuits, he went into golf with unrivaled enthusiasm. Hendy would often play with his elegant mother until she was over 100 years old. His daughter Joan enjoyed golfing with her dad. Joan remembers how Hendy’s relaxed encouragement helped her sink that putt. Hendy would spend hours setting up ball after ball for his granchildren to hit at the driving range. Hendy cherished being out there with his family, no matter what their age or stage of life! Hendy appreciated beauty and excellence in design, and he developed an affinity for Ferraris. His son Jim shared this passion. Hendy turned this into an adventure, traveling to Italy with Jim to attend Ferrari driving school.

Hendy delighted in being a grandpa. He loved reading to and playing with his grandkids. His daughter Elena remembers him joining her family on trips to Disneyland where Hendy’s face would light up with joy as he saw his grandkids’ excitement.

Hendy had no greater love than that for his wife Patty. Together for 11 years, they married on the shores of Lake Tahoe in 2015, with the whole family by their side. Then they were off to a Hawaiian honeymoon. Hendy and Patty had a very happy marriage full of love and laughter. Adventurous travelers, one of their favorite trips was to Wellington, New Zealand. They loved hosting family and friends in their home.

Hendy faced cancer with courage and dignity. He never lost his positive outlook. He always had his calendar by his side and lived to write down plans to look forward to. At the end of his life Hendy had fun things coming up on his calendar, visits with family and friends.

The day before Hendy passed, he thanked Patty for the delicious breakfast she brought him. Hendy peacefully passed away with a happy, full heart, in his home, with family by his side. Hendy is greatly missed by his many friends and family who will be forever inspired by his kindness, loving energy, passion, and zest for living. Hendy was preceded in death by his son Jim Henderson. Hendy is survived by his wife Patty Henderson, his son Charles Henderson ( Kit), his daughter Joan Henderson, his daughter Elena Henderson Keating ( Brian), his son Mark Henderson ( Mercedes), daughter in law Mindy Henderson, thirteen grandchildren and two great- grandchildren.