Mr. David George Henderson JR

David George Henderson, Jr. was born on May 5, 1926, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was one of six children that grew up in the family home at the corner of Debow and Gunter Avenue. He lived to celebrate his 100th birthday in good health at his home with all his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and spouses, and passed on June 15, 2026, after a brief illness with a heart condition. He was married to Margaret Brown, whom he met when she was 15 and had ridden her favorite horse — Prince — across what is now Gunter Avenue, to offer a ride to 19-year-old David who had just come home from World War II. Their brief ride that day led to a 62-year marriage. David attended Georgia Tech and transferred from there to the University of Alabama to join Margaret, who was already a student there, and they graduated in 1950 together and were married in 1950. David and Margaret had four children by the year 1955 — David, Stephen, and twins Jenny, and Judy. Their oldest son David had health problems, and doctors advised the family to move to Tucson, Arizona, where they said a dry climate would be better for his health. He was a pharmaceutical sales representative during their time in Tucson. The family had many adventures camping in Arizona and Mexico and hiking and riding horses in the Mountains. The family moved even farther out west to California for 3 years where David was a pharmaceutical sales representative with a territory of all of Southern California. They enjoyed trips to the Pacific beaches and camping in the Sierras. After eight years out West the family moved back to Guntersville where David ran Brown Henderson Chevrolet, which had been owned by his father-in-law for more than 30 years. In the mid-1970s, David decided to return to his original field of engineering and attended the University of Alabama in Huntsville and received his Master’s degree in Engineering and became a Civil Servant for the Army at Redstone Arsenal. There he worked on “Star Wars” missile defense systems, which are widely used today. He was also an avid pilot and had one of the first airplanes at the Guntersville Airport in 1950. His last airplane was a Mooney, and he flew it to New Orleans World’s Fair and to Colorado where his twin daughters were living at the time. His last work as an engineer was for Teledyne Brown, where he continued work on Missile Defense Systems, and he retired in 1990. He and Margaret moved to Ono Island in Orange Beach in 1991, while still maintaining their home here and their membership at the Guntersville First Presbyterian Church. At Ono Island they enjoyed spending time on the beach with their eight grandchildren. He was a lifelong member of the Guntersville First Presbyterian Church, where he met Joan Fulton, also a member, after Margaret passed in 2012. They enjoyed 12 years together as dear friends before she passed in 2025. He was close to her sons Ron, Gary, and Allen Fulton. David is survived by two sons, David George Henderson III (Gale) of La Crescenta, California, Dr. Stephen Henderson (Susan) of Guntersville, and Judy Hammock (Jody) of Lillian, Alabama. He is also survived by his eight grandchildren Lindsey Kristen Walls, Virginia Frances Hammock, John Patrick McCann, Roy Wilks Hammock, Jr., Michael Spence Henderson, Virginia Grace NeSmith, Whitmer Alexander Thomas II, and Charles Lawrence Henderson, along with eight great-grandchildren. He is also survived by sister Hazel Hyatt and brother Edward Henderson. He was preceded in death by wife Margaret Brown Henderson, daughter Virginia (Jenny) Henderson, grandson Casey Anthony McCann, and sisters Lulie Flowers, Mary Jane McClendon, Caroline Batrous. David was a kind, gentle and loving man — who was always considerate of others. If you saw him, it was always with a smile on his face, especially around his grand children and great-grandchildren. He was blessed with a long, rich, and loving life, and will be dearly missed by all those who called him theirs.

Mr. David George Henderson JR

May 5, 1926 - June 15, 2026