Leonard Henery

Leonard Adolphus Boucher Henery passed away on March 13, 2022 at the age of 82, in Washington, DC. Although his official cause of death was renal failure, those closest to him would say the true cause was a broken heart. His beloved wife, Sheila, died two years prior and he never recovered from this loss.

Leonard was born the fifth of eight children to Clarence and Mavis (née Boucher) Henery in New Amsterdam, Guyana in 1940. He liked to say that the most accurate directions to his childhood home was “to turn on to Third Street and walk directly to the loudest house”.

Known as one of the noisiest siblings, from the tender age of 4, he developed a fondness of singing at the top of his voice (which he did well into old age) early in the morning. However, it was often so early that his mother would put him to sit on the front steps so that the others could have peace.

His father died after a stroke when he was only six years old. To improve the family’s prospects, his mother moved all eight children to the capital, Georgetown. There, he attended Guyana Education Trust. He developed a distinguished speaking voice that would serve him well throughout his life in which he was often called upon to deliver speeches, make pronouncements, and tell stories.

One of his favorites was explaining how he had received the prominent scars on his forehead. Instead of detailing the "mundane" truth of being hit by a car and suffering an infection picked up while working in the rainforest, he would invoke a tale of a misbegotten love affair involving a beautiful woman, her jealous boyfriend and a broken piece of glass…

After working in the “bush” as a surveyor, he moved to Washington, DC in 1965 to attend Howard University. It was then that he met Sheila. She, a nurse at a local hospital, was throwing a party. She invited Leslie Grant, a Guyanese student who worked shifts at the same hospital, to bring friends with him. They married in 1973.

Convinced that “every man needs a hobby”, Sheila encouraged Leonard to become a Mason. He was a proud lifelong member of Acacia Lodge No. 25, serving as Secretary for many years.

Much of Leonard's working life was spent at Georgetown University. First at Georgetown Law Center, then at the Main Campus, where he became Facilities Manager. His magnetic personality and gregarious nature made him hugely popular among faculty and staff, regularly leading him to win awards and accolades.

In retirement, while arthritis may have slowed him, his ability to connect with others never dimmed. He took up a part-time job driving a shuttle bus taking senior citizens to various places. Within a few months, he was the company’s most requested driver.

While Leonard often talked about the immense pride he had for his children, it was impossible to describe the boundless joy he felt at the arrival of his grandchildren. When he heard that his grandson was named after him, he was at a loss for words for the first time in his life.

His distinctive tone and booming laughter will be dearly missed by all.

Leonard is survived by his three children, Leila, Philip, and Michelle; and his two grandchildren, Leo and Kim.