Mary Henderson

Waynesville-Mary Joyce Calvin Henderson, age 78, of 439 Auburn Park Drive, died Saturday, October 9, 2004. She was a native of Haywood County and the daughter of the late Gardner and Azalea Holland Calvin of Canton. She was married to Arthur Henderson of Asheville for fifty years and raised their family of five children in Asheville and Arden before moving to Waynesville. Mary Joyce was a member of Grace Church in the Mountains where she was a member of Daughters of the King, sang in the choir, and served as interim organist and choir director. In previous years she served as organist and choir director for Arden Presbyterian Church of Arden and Calvary Episcopal Church in Fletcher. She also served as interim organist at Canton Presbyterian, Sylva Presbyterian, and numerous other churches throughout Haywood and Buncombe Counties. Recently she sang with Sweet Adelines and the Lake Junaluska Community Chorus. She graduated from Western Carolina University, Cum Laude with a Masters Degree in Mathematics. She taught at T. C. Roberson High School in Arden for twelve years and became a math coordinator for Buncombe County Schools. She then became a regional math coordinator for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction before retiring in 1992. She continued working in Haywood County schools following her retirement as a substitute teacher and staff development coordinator until June 2003. She was honored during her career as "Teacher of the Year" for Buncombe County and received the "W. W. Rankin Memorial Award for Excellence in Mathematics Education" in October 1994. She also served as president of the NCAE Retired Teachers for 2002-2003. She was a long-time member of Delta Alpha Chapter, Delta Kappa Gamma, and Phi Delta Kappa. Mary Joyce is survived by two sisters, Elizabeth Johnson of Auburn, Alabama and Nancy Mills of Norcross, Georgia. She is also survived by her five children, James Henderson and his wife, Barbara, of San Antonio, Texas; Rebecca Walker of Palm Springs, California, David Henderson of Waynesville, Gary Henderson and his wife, Ruth, of Kennesaw, Georgia, and Debbie Henderson of Candler. Other survivors include seven grandchildren, Kathleen, Jennifer, Christine, Jill, Jeffery, Samuel, and Sean; and four great grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. at Grace Episcopal Church in the Mountains in Waynesville on Friday, October 15, 2004 with Reverend Heber Peacock, Reverend Jim McElrath, and Reverend Riley Covan. The family will receive friends in the parish hall following the committal service, and at other times, the family will be at the home. Memorials may be made to Grace Episcopal Church in the Mountains, 394 N. Haywood Street, Waynesville, NC 28786; Haywood Regional Medical Center Hospice, 560 Leroy George Drive, Clyde, NC 28721; or Haywood Animal Welfare Association, P.O. Box 992, Waynesville, NC 28786.

Previous Events