Judith Henderson

Memorial services for Judith Mae Henderson, 70, of Lawrence, will be held 10:00 a.m., Saturday, February 26, 2011 at the Lawrence Unitarian Fellowship. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Douglas County Visiting Nurses, Rehabilitation and Hospice Care or to the KU Endowment Association for the Study Abroad Program and may be sent in care of the mortuary in Lawrence.

Judith Mae (Satterfield) Henderson, 70, of Lawrence, died Friday, February 4, 2011 at Lawrence Memorial Hospital of cancer.
 

She was born Sept. 29, 1940, in Dodge City, KS, the daughter of LeRoy and Daisy (Corey) Satterfield of Plains, KS.  She grew up in Plains, the youngest of four children, and graduated from Plains High School in 1958.
 

She married Conrad Henderson, a student of German language whom she met in college at the University of Kansas, and they married in June 1961 on campus at Danforth Chapel.  Judith graduated from KU in 1962 with a bachelor’s degree in French. At KU, she had roles in numerous theater productions, most notably as Abigail in “The Crucible.”
 

Judy’s teaching career began at Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, KS, from 1962 to 1964, and then she took time off to have her first child and travel extensively in Europe while her husband was on a Fulbright Teaching Exchange in Germany. She resumed teaching French at Lawrence High School from 1970 until her retirement, in 2000.
 

At LHS, Judy taught all levels of the language and served as the French Department chairwoman. She tried to open a window on a new world for her students beyond basic language learning. She was an effective teacher with sincere and long-lasting rapport with her students. Many of her students thought of her as an important influence in their lives and careers. In 1984, Judy earned an American Association of Teachers of French fellowship to study in Avignon, France. In 1990, she received a Rockefeller Foundation grant for research in Metz, France, and later received two National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships to study French authors during two summers in Paris and the Dordogne. She also studied in Quebec, Canada, and Lyon, France.
 

Also during her tenure, Judy was president of the Lawrence Education Association from 1979 to 1980, served on the Faculty Advisory Council at LHS and was the school’s French Club sponsor. In addition, Judith coached LHS junior varsity volleyball and cross-country track, was a longtime scorekeeper for the LHS volleyball games, a volunteer at the Lawrence Visitors Center and Friends of the Lawrence Library, and was active in the Friends in Council study club. She was a member of the Chi Omega Social Sorority, the American Association of Teachers of French and was a former Girl Scout troop leader.
 

After her retirement, Judy and Conrad continued to travel through France, Germany and the rest of Europe, especially with the “Table Ronde” study group from Marl, Germany, an adult education group led by a German friend and former French teacher at the Albert-Schweitzer Gymnasium there. The couple did not neglect the United States, with travels to see their children and grandchildren on both sides of the continent, and spending time each summer at Judy’s brother and sister-in-law’s cabin in Colorado near Estes Park, with many glorious hikes along the stream that ran past the place her brother, an English professor, jokingly referred to as “Paradise Regained.”
 

She  is survived by her husband of Lawrence; a daughter, Kristen Dakota and her husband, Keenan, of Louisa, VA; a son, Patrick and his wife, Jes Maharry, of Ojai, CA; two grandsons, Arlo Millich and Rowan Dakota; two granddaughters, Isabella (Zela) and Liv Henderson of Ojai; one brother, Leon Satterfield and his wife, Mary Ann of Lincoln, NE; a sister, Delores Jones of Lawrence; and many beloved nieces and nephews who will always have a special place in their hearts for Aunt Judy. She was preceded in death by her parents, and a sister, Marilyn Buck.
 

The family will greet friends from 2:30-4:30 P.M. Sunday,  February 6, 2011 at Warren-McElwain Mortuary in Lawrence.
Memorial services will be announced at a later date at the Lawrence Unitarian Fellowship.
 

The family suggests memorials to the Douglas County Visiting Nurses, Rehabilitation and Hospice Care or to the KU Endowment Association for the Study Abroad Program and may be sent in care of the mortuary in Lawrence.

 

5 Condolences

  1. Barbara Getter on February 5, 2011 at 12:00 am

    Ms. Henderson was taught me French in 11th and 12th grade. I loved her passion and enthusiasm for the language. She was one of my favorite teachers. My condolences on your loss.



  2. Paul Szeptycki on February 7, 2011 at 12:00 am

    I remember Mrs Henderson very fondly. My sincerest condolences to Conrad and Kristen and Mrs Hendersons whole family.

    Paul



  3. Valerie Johnson-Powell on February 8, 2011 at 12:00 am

    Judy served the Lawrence Education Association in many ways, not only as President, but as a leader in political action and as a building representative. She will be missed.



  4. Antoinette Smith on February 9, 2011 at 12:00 am

    I remember Mrs. Henderson so well. She was my favorite teacher at LHS and the one who sparked my lifelong interest in all things French. What a huge loss for her family and the Lawrence community as a whole. May she rest in peace.



  5. Katy Gold on February 20, 2011 at 12:00 am

    My warmest thoughts are with your family. I will always remember Mrs. Henderson as one of my favorite teachers of all time. Even now, at the end of the week, I always think of her cheerful, “C’est Vendredi!” She was wonderful. I learned so much from her that I will always hold with me.



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