Birth Born on December 08, 1929 in Silt, Garfield Co., CO Death Died on March 26, 2010 in Arnold, Calaveras Co., CA Buried in Saint Patrick's Catholic Cemetery in Murphys, Calaveras Co., CA Marriages CARTER, Eugenia Frances Married on 1952 Children HENDERSON, Michael HENDERSON, Brett Eric HENDERSON, Wade Frederick: June 24, 1955 - October 30, 2017 Notes Occupation: USAF LT Colonel/ Owner of Pete's Place Moose Creek,AK Military Service: Korea/ Vietnam USAF Obituary: Our father, retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel William F. Henderson, succumbed to respiratory failure on March 26, 2010, in Northern California. His wife of many years, Charlotte Armstrong-Henderson, was by his side at his death. Bill was a big part of Moose Creek's history, and he owned Pete's Place. Henderson's Hole (Bathing Beauty Pond) was named for the family. Dad was a well-known character in Moose Creek, North Pole and Salcha [all places in Alaska]. Many children and teens would make a pilgrimage to visit Bill at Pete's Place or Moose Creek Garage where he had been a partner. Teens from his earlier years would stop by and ask for his advice and/or be a victim of his style of humor. Dad always was good with children from all walks of life, and he was a great role model with a big heart for them and always with a good story. Born in the small town of Silt, Colorado, on Dec. 8, 1929, to Raymond and Ellen Henderson, he used his intelligence to dodge a life of poverty. He was involved in the Korean War air conflict, and when the war was over, he enrolled in the Air Force Academy in Houston, where he excelled and earned his "wings," eventually flying reconnaissance missions throughout the world. He quickly climbed the ranks in the Air Force to become a leading and highly decorated pilot. He would tell his children stories about his missions when they were young and gullible. Yet, even when we knew he was stretching the truth, his stories were too fascinating to interrupt; the war wounds on his body where he was allegedly "shot" by Indian arrows were the most fascinating and intriguing. The jury is still out on that one. He enjoyed raising hell on the Navajo Indian reservation while growing up with his brother Russell, where he learned to rope and ride wild horses. Eventually, he would meet and marry Eugenia F. Henderson and produce three additional wild boys, Michael, Wade and Brett, and daughter, Linda. The passing of his eldest son, Michael, created a missing piece in his heart for many years, and with that, he had asked that some of his ashes be spread with Michael's on the water of Henderson's Hole in the future. He was involved with being past commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in North Pole, California and the Elks Club. Finally, he leaves behind "his life" from California and those he touched: his current wife of 19 years, Charlotte Armstrong; her children, Rhonda and Beth, and their husbands, Bill and John; her grandchildren he took in as his own; John, his fishing buddy, and Candace. Dad was an avid fisherman after his retirement and he shared many fishing adventures with his buddies. He also leaves behind his Alaska family who had missed him for many years: Wade, Brett and Linda and husband Glenn Morrison and Dad's grandchilden, Cameron and Jamieson, all of Anchorage; his granddaughter, Krystal Meyer, her husband, Ted; his great-grandchildren, Madison, Hunter, Tyler and Jayden, of Eagle River; and his grandson, Staphoen Henderson, of Fairbanks; and his former daughter-in-law, Cheryl Brady, of Fairbanks, his late son Michael's wife. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Eugenia F. Henderson, our beloved mother. "Well Pop, you are finally coming home where you always belonged, loved and missed; you are now among the very stars that you sought so earnestly while flying so high during your career. With love and prayers, your loving family and friends." Daily News-Miner Fairbanks,AK April 18, 2010 Images William Henderson