Henry Upton Jr.

Henry Upton, Jr. was born on September 28, 1946. He was the first son born to the Late Henry Upton, Sr. and Lillie Mae Chase Upton in Schulenburg, Texas. Henry was a man of grace and kindness. He knew the Lord, and was a devoted husband, a dedicated and loving father, a nurturing grandfather, a supportive and caring brother, a comforting uncle, a cherished cousin and nephew, a valued friend to so many, a leader and impressive commanding military officer who served in the US Army with distinction and love for his country. At one point, Henry was featured as the youngest Black officer to reach the rank of Major.

Henry was baptized at an early age and received his spiritual foundation at St. James Missionary Baptist Church. He was a disciplined and dependable young man, who focused on serving his community and others. He was a hard worker, maintaining a paper route from the early age of fourteen until he graduated high school, which required him to rise early every Saturday morning to fold papers and ride his bicycle to deliver two newspapers (the Informer, a national paper and the San Antonio Register, a regional paper which highlighted local news). Henry’s discipline translated into the classroom, where he graduated Valedictorian at Schulenburg’s J.A. Greene High School in 1964. In his Valedictory address, he told his fellow classmates: “for all of the hardships that they may have endured, nothing is impossible” and that “difficult things may take time, patience and understanding to accomplish while the things that seem impossible may take even a bit more time, He emphasized that that no one should ever give up on their dreams and aspirations. Henry’s discipline and dependability resulted in others trusting his decisions and he rose to positions of leadership in the military and in everything that he undertook in life.

From an early age. Henry was a creative observer who often spent time reflecting upon many things most of us took for granted. He built his own motorized dirt bike from old parts and was just as comfortable with a pen, book, wrench, BBQ fork, or weapon. He was a renaissance man. He was a strategic thinker and problem solver. He was always conducting science projects and experimenting. Henry’s ambition and thirst for knowledge drove him to explore a path to higher education. He chose to enter ROTC at Prairie View A & M University. His love of problem solving, analysis and scientific experiments, led him to major in Chemistry with a Minor in Mathematics. Henry was also a premiere member of Prairie View’s “The Marching 101’s band”. He was an accomplished clarinet player and was often featured as a soloist with the band. Consistent with his disciplined approach to life and the teachings of his mother and father, Henry was not a stranger to working long hours and studying hard, consequently, it was no surprise that he was on the Dean’s List for academic excellence during his entire tenure at Prairie View. He had the honor of being selected twice as one of “The Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities” for his junior and senior year.

Henry also distinguished himself as an ROTC cadet and became a Battalion Commander and was awarded many commendations for his outstanding achievements. He was elected as permanent class president of his college graduating class, and was also president of the chemistry club. Upon graduation, he worked initially at Texas Instruments in Dallas in the laboratory. After a short tenure at Texas Instruments, Henry entered the US Army as a commissioned officer at the rank of Second Lieutenant and during his tour in Vietnam he was quickly promoted to Captain. Henry was proud to serve his country and willingly moved across the nation and the world in the performance of his duties as a commissioned officer. One of his most significant tours of duty was in Vietnam. Based on his skill and expertise, he was chosen as the director of his unit and was awarded the Bronze Star for Meritorious Achievement in ground combat operations against hostile forces, the Legion of Merit award, and two Defense Meritorious Service Medals. Throughout his career, Henry was stationed at: Ft. Monmouth-New Jersey; Aberdeen Proving Ground-Maryland; NORAD- Colorado; Munchweiler-Germany; Ft. Monroe-Newport News, VA; Falls Church/Pentagon-Northern VA, Korea, and Ft. Shafter Hawaii.

In recognition of his many accomplishments, Henry received several promotions and retired at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Henry was a highly decorated veteran, having received numerous awards to include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with Gold Star in lieu of second award, and the Army Commendation Medal with Gold Star in lieu of second award. He was known for being a serious but graceful commanding officer who often mentored younger soldiers and took them under his wing. As a commander Henry demonstrated, tact, decisiveness, and grace to meet the mission of all of military tasks.

Henry was a dedicated family man and he loved his family. He met the love of his life, Henrietta Reeves, during his short tenure at Texas Instruments in Dallas. They were married after his tour in Vietnam and raised three amazing sons: Avery, Rossie, and Marcus. Henry and Henrietta were inseparable, like two peas in a pod for more than 50 years of marriage. They were a “Godly Couple” often described as a match made in heaven. Henry was known for his doting over Henrietta- and he made no secret of the fact that he loved to “spoil her”. Henrietta was known for her dedication to Henry and she traveled the world with him, lovingly supporting his military career. With every move, Henrietta, packed up the boys and created a loving, beautiful and comfortable home in each new location of their journey as a military family. In many of the duty stations, Henrietta worked on base as a civilian. She and Henry focused on making sure that the children were focused in school and balanced in all of their extracurricular activities. They often traveled, taking family trips to explore the surrounding states, historical sites, and monuments. As a commanding officer, Henry always found time to be active with each of the boys in their school and extracurricular school activities. He showed his sons how a man of God walks and he took great pride in working with Henrietta to raise such successful God- fearing men and was proud of each of them. Henry was equally proud of his granddaughter, Elizabeth, who was the joy of his life. He adored both his mother, Lillie Mae, and his mother-in-law, Cora Mae. He and Henrietta would often have them visiting their home at the same time and it was evident that Henry treasured the time with both of his “mothers.”

Henry was known to so many in the family as being an extraordinary role model. At the age of 69, he was chosen to receive a double lung transplant in February 2018. The surgery was a medical success. The medical team was truly impressed with Henry and he was proud to be one of first patients at the new UT Southwest medical facility in Dallas.

On December 3, 2020, God called Henry home and he earned another set of wings in glory as he peacefully entered his eternal resting place. Henry was preceded in death by his son, Avery Upton, his parents, Henry and Lillie Mae Upton, and his Father & Mother-in-Law, Mr. Henry L. Reeves & Mrs. Cora Mae Reeves.

Those left to celebrate Henry’s life and cherish his memory are his beloved wife of 50 years, Henrietta, his sons, Rossie of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Marcus of Richmond, Virginia, his granddaughter, Elizabeth Smith, of Dallas, his siblings, Rita Daniels (Monroe), Arleas Kea of Washington, DC, Wallas Upton, of Bogalusa, Louisiana, Gloria Shepert (Chester) of Ft. Worth, and a host of nieces, nephews, beloved cousins, and many dear relatives and friends.