Ross Leroy McHenry

Ross Leroy McHenry passed away suddenly at his home in Aubrey, Texas on Monday, June 24, 2024. His wife of 40 years, Judith Dianne O’Quinn-Avey, was with him. Leroy’s passing is sadly grieved by his wife Judith, their surviving children Kathy Dianne Warner Thedford (husband Roger), Karolyn Danette Warner McGowan (husband Mac), John Denney Warner Jr (wife Kelly), their grandchildren, great grandchildren, by his surviving siblings, several nieces and nephews, and the many cousins who grew up with him in Louisiana in his childhood. Leroy was devoted to his wife, their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He was beloved by them in turn and will be sorely missed by all.

Leroy was born in the community of Carson, Jeff Davis County, Mississippi on April 2, 1941, to his parents Ross Sidney McHenry and Ina Mae Bullock. He was raised on a cotton farm in Franklin Parish, Louisiana, along with his seven siblings, and attended elementary school and high school at Central High of Franklin Parish. Leroy attended and graduated from the University of Louisiana, Monroe with degrees in mathematics and physics. He served 2 years in the United States Army, and later had a stellar career as a NASA engineer in the Mission Planning and Analysis Division of the Manned Spacecraft Center, later renamed the Johnson Space Center, in Houston, Texas, from 1966 until 1989. Leroy provided expert spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control analysis and trajectory computations for NASA’s Apollo, Spacelab, Shuttle, and Space Station programs. After retiring from NASA, he moved on to NASA-supporting engineering positions with MIT Draper Lab, Loral Aerospace, Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Leroy retired from the aerospace field, after a long and illustrious career, and settled in Aubrey, Denton County, Texas with Judith. He became a math instructor at the Brookhaven Campus of Dallas College, Carrollton, Texas, and taught there for several years.

Leroy was preceded in death by his parents and by two siblings Dewanna Eileen McHenry Blake (husband Jerry, also deceased), and Timothy Wayne McHenry (wife Amy), and one daughter Karen Denise Warner Schwind (husband Mike). Leroy will be missed and remembered by his surviving siblings Elric N McHenry (wife Doris Jean), Carroll Delaney McHenry (wife Martha), Lowry Allen McHenry (wife Brenda), Donnie Larue McHenry (wife Bobbie) and Maita Darlene McHenry Killian (husband Jeff). Memories of Leroy by Donnie McHenry and Maita McHenry Killian will of course be from his adulthood as they were preschoolers when he moved away from Franklin Parish in 1959 to begin his college, military and subsequent professional career. Memories of Leroy by Elric, Carroll and Allen will always include those years in the late 1940s and the 1950s when he grew up with these brothers while becoming a farm field hand, a plowman, an explorer of the forests, fields and streams nearby, second in command of the McHenry boys and friends roaming those environs, a very successful student, and second of his McHenry generation to attend and graduate college. No one will miss him more than these brothers who knew him all of their lives.