Emily Henderson

Emily Jane Henderson, 88, of Aurora, CO, passed away on November 13, 2024. Emily was born on February 2, 1936, in McCook, Nebraska. She was the second child of Harry and Margaret House.

Emily lived a remarkable life. One of her most cherished memories as a young girl was when she and her brother Lewis would take the train in the summer to visit her grandparents and cousins in McCook. Growing up in Denver near Lowery Army Airfield during World War II, she had fond memories of watching the training aircraft fly, which no doubt planted the seed for her future career. During that time, she also found two lifelong passions, piano and dance. In 1957, she embarked on an exciting career as a flight attendant for United Airlines. Upon graduating from the United Airlines Stewardess Center in Cheyenne, Wyoming, her flying career started with the Douglas DC-7. Over the years, she would fly in a variety of aircraft to include the Boeing 727, DC-8, DC-10, and B-757. She retired in 1998 after 41 years of faithful service, logging thousands of flight hours with a distance equivalent to approximately 13 round trips to the moon, quite an accomplishment.

After retirement, Emily became an active member of the Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.) International, which is a Sisterhood that celebrates, supports, and motivates women to help them advance around the world through education. She also became a member of the St. Stephen's Church altar guild, responsible for the maintenance and preparation of the altar and its furnishings in the church.

Emily married Bill Henderson in May 1969. They embarked on a wonderful 47-year marriage until Bill’s passing in 2016. As a couple, they enjoyed traveling in their early years, hosting parties, playing golf, going to Denver Broncos games in the 1970s, and celebrating Christmas and Easter with their family. They also loved and cherished many pets throughout the years.

Emily’s surviving family members are her brother Lewis, son Kelly, daughter Holly, grandchildren Candice, Kyle, Zeb, Jeremiah, Nina, and Stasi, and great-grandchildren Preston, Freyja, Seamus, and Marcel. She is preceded in death by her parents, Harry and Margaret, husband Bill, and son Keith.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church on 14 June at 1000, 1 Del Mar Circle, Aurora, CO.