WASHINGTON, D.C. – “A brilliant legal mind” and “the luckiest man in the world” are two of the ways the late David H. Henderson, Jr., was remembered on Monday in an honorary address made by Rep. Brian Babin before the House of Representatives.
Henderson died on June 17 at the age of 77 after a lifetime of service to his country, community and family. The Tyler County resident served a long and distinguished career in the United States Marine Corps, as Babin noted in his honorary remarks, and he noted the scope of not just Henderson’s many achievements, but above all, his devotion to his family.
“Whether serving on the school board of his daughter’s school, defending a client, prosecuting a case, mentoring a child, comforting a prisoner, serving his church, supporting his family, or simply returning shopping carts in a parking lot because he thought it might make someone else’s day a little easier, David consistently chose service over self,” Babin read from written remarks.
Henderson, in his 20-year career with the USMC, served as a military attorney, and had been chosen to attend the University of Oklahoma College of Law after officer candidate school.
An honors graduate, Henderson handled many significant cases through his military law career, including one in which he represented Sgt. Clayton Lonetree in an espionage case, which was chronicled in the book Dancing with the Devil. Another case, in which Henderson represented a Marine captain at Guantanamo Bay, later inspired the film A Few Good Men.
“He believed deeply in hard work, personal responsibility and treating every person with dignity and respect,” Babin said. “He had little interest in accolades for their own sake. Instead, he measured success by the quality of one’s work, the strength of one’s character, and the impact one had on the lives of others.”
Babin’s address also paid tribute to Henderson’s widow, Lois, whom he referred to as the “center of David’s life.”
“He often remarked that he was the luckiest man in the world and never quite understood how someone as wonderful as Lois had chosen him,” Babin said.
Lois Henderson was also presented with a flag that had flown over the U.S. Capitol, by Babin, in honor of her late husband.
Henderson was buried with full military honors at Swearingen Cemetery in Warren, following a funeral mass last Saturday at Our Lady of the Pines Catholic Church, of which he was a devoted parishioner and served in many capacities.
Lois Henderson added that her beloved husband’s final days were rough, due to his illness, Lewy Body Dementia (LBD), a condition for which, she said, not a lot is known.
The condition affects one’s abilities to think and move, as well as behaviors and mood, and there are commonalities within the diagnosis with both Parkinson’s Disease and common dementia.
The family asks that any memorial donations be made in David’s honor to the Lewy Body Dementia Association in order to support research, education and assistance for families that are affected by the same illness that took their loved one. Donations can be made through the organization’s website at lbda.org, or by calling 409-935-6444.
