Charles "Chip" Lorenzo Henry III

A friend to all, a proud and devoted husband and father, an iconoclast and visionary, Charles “Chip” Lorenzo Henry III died at home with his family the morning of April 16, 2025 after a battle with cancer. He leaves behind his beloved wife, Mary McLaughlin and his two precious sons, Robert Henry and Liam Henry and his daughter-in-law, Kaylie Munn, all of Atlanta GA. He also leaves behind his mother, Elizabeth Henry of Atlanta, and his sister, Margaret Dugan of Asheville. He is predeceased by his father Charles L. Henry Jr. and his brother Robert Earle Henry. He is survived by many loving nieces, nephews, great nieces and cousins.

Chip was born in Chattanooga, TN on April 10, 1951. He spent his formative years on Signal Mt. exploring the Tennessee hill country with his brother Bobby, while keeping an eye on their sister Margaret. When Chip was 16 he rode a Campus 50cc moped from Martinstville to Riverside California. His parents, Charles and Elizabeth, and his siblings and cousin, Brice, followed a day behind him. This rite of passage cross country trip sparked a lifetime of seeking for Chip.

Art, politics and fighting for justice were at the core of Chip's life. He attended Washington and Lee, studying Art and Political Science. Upon graduation, he traveled to Taiwan with his art professor, Mr. Ju, to participate in an art exhibit. The plan was to stay for two weeks, but Chip stayed for two years, learning Chinese and teaching English classes.

After his years in Taiwan, Chip worked as a union organizer for the International Ladies Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU). He earned a Master of Public Administration at Jackson State University, and returned to Georgia to work on the mayoral campaign for Andrew Young.

Chip worked for twenty-one years as a Contracts Officer for the Bureau of Purchasing and Real Estate with the City of Atlanta. His time with the city ended when he “blew the whistle” on the corrupt practices in the bureau under then mayor, Bill Campbell. Although Chip chose early retirement, he did live to see both Mayor Campbell and the Director of the Bureau escorted to jail.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, when Mrs. Coretta Scott King was president of the MLK Jr Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Chip distinguished himself as a scholar-intern and then as a certified Kingian Nonviolence Trainer for the numerous regularly-held youth workshops and college conferences. He met his life partner and love of his life, Mary McLaughlin, also a committed activist and nonviolence trainer, at the King Center; they married in 1990. The friends he made during those years became his second family.

Chip was a devoted husband and father. The joy he felt when with his family was evident to all. His two sons, Robert and Liam, were his world. Early retirement allowed Chip to spend the next decade hanging with his two sons as their teacher, baseball coach, rock climbing belayer, adventure companion and friend. They would pile gear and friends into the Westfalia and roll-start the frequently dead battery. Their adventures ranged near and far, from climbing in the same Tennessee mountains of his youth to surfing the cold waters off the coast of Maine.

Chip had a second career as a teacher at the Horizons School, where his oldest son Robert, was a student. Chip’s love of fractals, computers, politics and science fed his work as a teacher

and mentor to young people. Chip’s superpower was the ability to listen to people in ways that made them feel part of the family. His presence was deeply felt and as a result, the sadness of his loss will loom large.

The universe is a little less kinder and a little less loving with the loss of this great spirit. In remembrance of Chip, we hope all who knew him will try harder to choose love over hate, and make sure to vote in the midterm elections.