Verniece Henderson Hensey

Verniece (Henderson) Hensey of Wilmington, MA passed on to glory on September 21, 2014. She was born in El Dorado, AR, on Sunday June 2, 1939 at 4:18 AM. She lived her toddler years in West Point, MS and then traveled north to Boston, MA at age three, via the Washington DC area to her Aunt Magnolia, "Sister's", house for a few months before relocating to her maternal grandfather, Samuel Henderson, "Papa's", house on Sherman Street in Boston, where she grew up. She attended Girl's Latin School now known as Boston Latin Academy, Northeastern University, and Lesley College. She was active in dance, sports, theater, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, choir, and community affairs. She loved music, poetry, and African art. Throughout her lifetime she won many awards for her contribution to many causes, activities, and her work but especially for Black woman achievements. Verniece was the former wife of the late John A. Hensey, Sr. of Malden, MA, and the beloved mother of Verneice T. Starling of Tempe, AZ and Jonathan K. Hensey of Wilmington, MA. Verniece built a home in Wilmington, MA in 1968 where she had lived for the last 46 years of her life. Her abilities, talents demeanor, and faith in God graced her with employment which allowed her to travel the United States and to Europe. Verniece was very patriotic, and with great joy she had the honor of serving her country by working with various subcontractors on defense systems for several decades. The loving grandmother of Naitasia V. Hensey of Somerville, MA, Naiquisia T. Hensey of Brooklyn, NY, and Laniece B. Starling of Tempe, AZ, Verniece was always available and ever ready to offer kind words of encouragement, be the instrument of love, kindness, helping, and guidance, and to pour her heart and soul into three more quivers of her legacy. As the dear great niece of Thelma Henderson of Boston, MA, niece of Evelyn H. Gunn of Springfield, MA and Jeannette and Richard Fountaine of Antioch, CA, the much loved younger sister of Alice Dunston of Orange, NJ, LaVerne Logan of Capitol Heights, MD, Charles Henderson, of Fort Washington, MD and Thomas Luther Dixon, of Freemont, CA she kept in touch with the family she knew by phone and mail and occasional visits to embrace and share the love of family. Verniece was a member of a large and extended family. She had survived the following siblings: Marcheta Davis, Elemetra Perry Marlene Johnson, and Katherine Henderson; her cousins Erskin Henderson, Anthony Henderson, Shirley Henderson; her aunt Magnolia K. "Sister" Barnes; uncles Ira Henderson, James Henderson, Walter Zuber, Joseph Gunn, and Samuel Henderson; her parents Thomas Luther Zuber, MD and Minnie Henderson; grandparents Maggie Fair and Samuel “Papa” Henderson; great-grandparents Katherine Henderson and Rev. Ambrose Henderson. She also leaves twenty-one nieces, twenty-one nephews, and first cousins Cedric Henderson, Morris Henderson, Earline Craddock, Gary Fountaine, Cynthia Fountaine, Dawn Burmann and their children to continue the family legacy of caring for and about one another.

Donations in Verniece’s memory may be made online to the Verniece Hensey Family Memorial Charitable Trust at http://vhfm-charitabletrust.ws