Dr. Jessica Wolf Henderson

Dr. Jessica Henderson, also known as Judy Davis, of Kokomo, Indiana died of pancreatic cancer on March 8, 2021. She died at home in Kokomo surrounded by her family. She was born on October 17, 1951, to Barbara Pickering and Walter Davis in Kokomo. Jessica graduated from Western High School in 1969. She earned her BS in education from Ball State University in 1973. She went on to earn her MS in Nutrition from California Polytechnic State University – San Luis Obispo and her PhD in Public Health from Oregon State University. She is the editor of a textbook on breast cancer. Jessica loved teaching and began her career as a high school teacher in California. She went on to become full professor of public health at Western Oregon University where she won the Professor of the Year award. She also taught public health at Indiana University Kokomo from 2012 – 2018, so she could be closer to her family. Family was most the important thing to her. She enjoyed traveling, having adventures and going on long hikes with her mother, Barbara Pickering and sister, Dr. Sandy Davis. With Sandy, she coauthored and published a paper on the effects of contamination from a factory in Ellwood, IN. Most of all, she enjoyed spending time with her beloved son, Silas. She and Silas enjoyed long talks, homemade meals, watching movies, and playing board games together. She enjoyed gardening and sharing the organic fruits and vegetables with her family. Jessica loved her students and shared her passion for breast cancer advocacy with them. On twelve different occasions she took groups to Washington, DC to be civilian lobbyists for breast cancer research funding. She and several of her students got to have brunch with Dr. Jill Biden at the Vice President’s house and met with the First Lady to discuss breast cancer issues. She also took groups of students to the Komen Race for the Cure in Indianapolis so they could experience grassroots advocacy. In addition to being a dedicated professor, she was famous for her astoundingly large collection of tennis shoes. Because of Covid, no visitation or viewing is planned. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a fund for Silas Henderson at PO Box 6357, Kokomo, IN 46904.