Mary Elizabeth Henderson

Obituary of Mary Henderson
March 8, 1940, was a magnificent day! Mary Elizabeth Brown was born in Arvonia, VA to her joyful
parents, Graham Brown and Gertrude Hart Brown. Two years later, Mary's family relocated to Chester,
PA where she attended the Chester Public Schools and graduated from Chester High School in 1958.
Not long after graduating, Mary worked numerous jobs with various employers over the years such as:
YWCA, OIC, and Temple University.
in 1966, the late Robert Henderson and Mary were joined in holy matrimony. From their union came
Crystal Lynn Henderson and Robert Leonard Henderson, Jr. Mary devoted several years to raising her
children before returning to the workforce on a full-time basis.
Mary returned to the workforce on a full-time basis, when she obtained a job at IBM, a multinational
technology corporation. She worked there for 19 years and retired from her position as an
Administrative Assistant in 1991. Mary didn't sit still for too long and returned to work a few years later
as an Administrative Assistant at Swarthmore College. She worked there several years before
retiring....... for real that time.
Throughout her life, Mary enjoyed spending time with family. From annual trips back to Virginia to visit
numerous relatives to the daily love and support that she expressed to her immediate family, her joy
and positivity were infectious. Her favorite times of the year were holiday celebrations and birthdays
where her family would gather for thanks, solidarity, and fun. Each matriarch in the family would
provide dinner for the holidays. Her mother would cook for Thanksgiving. Mary would cook for
Christmas, and Ann (sister) would cook for New Year's Day.
In 1992, Mary became a charter member of the National Congress of Black Women (Delaware County
Chapter), where she worked for the uplifting and improvement of Black women. She was known to
travel with the president of the organization on multiple occasions to various places (including
Washington, DC and New York) to effectively deliver their message and impact change. The former
president (Rosetta Carter) characterized her as a "lady of integrity" who was one of the most committed
and faithful members of the organization. Mary was a devout Christian who attended multiple churches
throughout her life and regularly attended Highway Church of Christ prior to becoming ill in 2021.
Mary is survived by: her daughter, Crystal Henderson; her son and his wife, Robert and Lisa Henderson;
her grandson, Robert (Trey) Henderson Ill, cousins, and friends.

 Funeral Director

 Linda Townsend 

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