Lucilla Henderson

Lucilla Longoria Henderson, of Lake Jackson, with her family surrounding her, left this earthly world to be with our Lord, Saturday, June 29, 2019. In the Gospel of St. Matthew 5:3-10, “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God,” we are all taught to strive to be Christ-like. Lucilla truly lived her life in a Christ-like manner, pure of heart. She inspired us to be our very best; she saw our hearts at their kindest. In Luke 1:45, "Blessed is she who believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her," and believe, she did. We were all blessed to have this gracious and gentle woman in our lives for 58 years.

Lucilla Longoria Henderson was born June 2, 1961, to Juan and Mary Ann Longoria, the middle sister to Teresa and Rosemary. A 1979 graduate of Brazoswood High School, Lucilla was active in Belles, serving as a social officer, along with participating in other campus groups.

Lucilla took classes at Brazosport College concurrently during her senior year of high school and continued another year at BC before heading off to Texas State University where she earned a BBA in Marketing. Following college graduation, Lucilla married her high school sweetheart, Eric Henderson, and they returned to the Brazosport area to begin their careers and raise their family.

Lucilla spent 23 years in the shopping center industry where she held marketing director and general manager positions in Lake Jackson and Houston, receiving numerous awards and honors.

In 2008, Henderson accepted the opportunity to join TDECU, serving as Vice President of Marketing for 5 years. In 2013, Lucilla transitioned to serve as the Vice President of Community and Business Engagement. She served on the board for the Texas Credit Union Executives Society.

Being of service to her community and to others around the world was always a passion of Lucilla, so becoming one of the first female members of the Brazosport Rotary Club in 1987, was a natural choice. Lucilla remained an active member of the Rotary and was a two-time Paul Harris Fellow.

Continuing in her desire to help her community, in 1998, Lucilla Henderson served as Chairman of the Brazosport Chamber of Commerce and she continued to support the Chamber’s Taste of the Town committee, which she had been part of since its inception. In 2007, Lucilla was appointed to the Board of Regents for Brazosport College, and was elected in 2008 to the position where she continued to serve as a Board Member. She was a member of the Alliance of Brazoria County Economic Development board, served as the Co-Chair of Brazoria County Day in Austin in 2015, Texas and was selected to the Credit Union Executives Society Council Board in 2016.

Throughout her adult life, Lucilla served on numerous civic and nonprofit boards such as BACH, Junior Achievement, SPCA, City of Lake Jackson Parks Board and Development Board and she was active in St. Michael’s Catholic Church Youth Ministry and as an Extraordinary Minister.

Lucilla Henderson was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus of Brazosport College in 2003, and named Woman of the Year by the Brazosport Area Chamber of Commerce in 2011. She was selected as Brazosport Independent School District’s 2016 Wall of Fame recipient and was named the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 2017 Hispanic Female Executive of the Year.

Although Lucilla accomplished a great deal in her life, she most cherished roles of being the mom to her three children, Audrey, Indy and Emily; the wife of Eric Henderson; the daughter of Juan and Mary Ann Longoria, sister of Teresa and Rosemary, and the daughter in-law of now deceased Vincent and Fern Henderson.

Lucilla’s faith and Christian spirit were the cornerstones of her life; she held tight to her rosary and ever strong in her belief in the Lord. Survivors include her husband Eric Henderson; children Audrey Kersey (husband Jon), Indy Henderson (wife Christy) and Emily Henderson; parents Juan and May Ann Longoria; sisters Teresa Gonzalez (husband Carlos), Rosemary Barron (husband Mike) and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.

Lucilla was preceded in death by her grandparents Juan and Minnie Longoria, and Napoleon and Francisca Hernandez; her in-laws Vincent and Fern Henderson.

Funeral Services for Lucilla Longoria Henderson will be held Saturday, July 6, 2019, 10:00am, at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Lake Jackson, Texas. Relatives and friends are welcome to visitation Friday, July 5, at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Lake Jackson, from 6:00pm to 7:00pm, with a Rosary Service following visitation. Lucilla’s pallbearers include: Rob Heckendorn, Kevin Barron, Marcus Gonzalez, Zachary Christman, David Longoria and Jeff Silvertooth.

To honor the life and memory of Lucilla Longoria Henderson, please consider making a donation to the Brazosport College Foundation, 500 College Dr. 500 College Dr., Lake Jackson, TX 77566; or the Pregnancy Help Center, 327 Garland Dr., Lake Jackson, TX 77566; or True to Life Ministries, 105 This Way, Lake Jackson, TX 77566. Arrangements are under the direction of Restwood Funeral Home & Memorial Park, Clute, Texas.