Kathleen Virginia Hill Henderson passed away on August 20. She was born on October 28, 1918 in Falls Mills, Virginia to Ed and Lottie Hill. At age 14, she left home to attend high school at Berea College Foundation School in Kentucky. She earned a teaching certificate at Radford College, then later a degree in elementary education from East Tennessee State University. Her first teaching job was in a one-room schoolhouse in Pocahontas, VA, teaching grades 1-4. Later, she started libraries at two elementary schools in Elizabethton, TN, where she taught for over thirty years.

Mrs. Henderson was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, Neil Henderson, whom she met while working at the Hercules Ordinance Works in Radford, VA. They lived many years in Elizabethton, TN, before moving to Oak Ridge in 1993.

She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Susan and John McMahon of Oak Ridge, and two grandchildren, Matthew McMahon of Little Rock, AR, and Jennifer McMahon (Case Offutt) of Knoxville, TN. In addition, she is survived by several nieces and nephews of whom she was very fond.

Her main hobbies were spending time with her grandchildren and painting, which she taught herself after she retired. One of her paintings, entitled Lest We Forget is displayed at the Oak Ridge Senior Center.

Mrs. Hendersons most outstanding trait was her kindness. She was an exceptionally giving person, whether it was to her family, to her students, or to strangers. She will be missed.

Friends are invited to celebrate her life on Sunday, September 11 between 2 and 4 at the McMahon home. Memorials may be sent to her alma mater, Berea College, CPO 2216, Berea, KY 40404.

Published in Bluefield Daily Telegraph August 28, 2016