Eleanor I. Henderson

Eleanor I. Henderson, age 90, passed away Saturday, September 19, 2020, with her daughter by her side. There will be a private family service on Saturday at Waco’s Oakwood Cemetery. Eleanor Paula Irvin was born September 16, 1930, in Texarkana, Arkansas, to Homer Paul Irvin and Ella Pierce Irvin. The family later moved to Waco, where she graduated from Waco High School and attended Baylor University, earning her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1952. Eleanor was a proud Baylor Bear. In 1953, she married her high school sweetheart, R. L. “Bob” Henderson, Jr., who was the love of her life until his death in 1998. After a short stay in Lufkin, they returned to Waco, where she worked as a legal secretary for Judge John Sheehy's law practice. Eleanor's love of travel led her to historic destinations across America and Europe—chronicling her adventures in countless trip journals. A Master Bridge Player, she competed in bridge tournaments and liked card games of all kinds. Her favorite pastime was the weekly bridge game with her friends. She loved going to Historic Waco Foundation events, Waco Symphony performances, plays in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Baylor athletic events, Brazos Forum events, and the Harston Study Club. She was a member of the Austin Avenue Methodist Church for over 60 years. Eleanor is remembered for her quick wit and generous nature—as well as the dozens of coconut pound cakes she baked for her friends as Christmas presents each year. Her survivors include her daughter, Kathy “Kat” Henderson Nelson of Waco; grandson, Benjamin Nelson and wife, Hollye, of McKinney; great-grandchildren, Pierce and Macie Nelson, and Joseph Nelson and his fiancé, Shayla Muñoz, of Austin. Memorials in her name may be made to the First Methodist Church – Waco Downtown, formerly Austin Avenue Methodist Church. The family invites you to leave a message or memory on our “Tribute Wall” at www.WHBfamily.com.