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To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Christopher Joseph Henderson please visit our Sympathy Store (https://www.jeffersonfuneralchapel.com/store/Category.aspx?CategoryId=321&icn=desktop_memorial_obituary_link#chooser).
Chris was born on June 8, 1971, in Alexandria, Va., the 10th member of the house in Hayfield where he grew up.
It could get crowded, and Chris was known to nap in a dresser drawer or the wooden box his brother used for selling donuts. He fit in most places, sweet and funny, with a knack for keeping the family smiling.
He found a wider audience acting in musicals and plays with the Hayfield Secondary School drama community, and later turned a love of the stage into his first career. Chris performed in local theater, dinner theater, summers in the Outer Banks with The Lost Colony, and as part of a traveling improv troupe that taught kids about health and wellness.
He had an easy rapport with kids, and soon came his own, Georgia and Jake, the greatest source of the joy Chris wore so naturally. He settled outside of Charlottesville, VA., raising Georgia and Jake while working as an inventory control specialist at the Walmart distribution center in Zion Crossroads.
Chris was diagnosed with bladder cancer three years ago, the start of a chapter he faced each day with Heather, his girlfriend, by his side. Georgia and Jake kept things grounded, and Rosie the pup was a sweet diversion. The rest of us saw a bit less of Chris, but when we did we got the charm, wit, and quiet sunshine he naturally carried.
Chris died on May 11, 2022, at age 50, a few days before Georgia graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a double-major in forensics and biology, and Jake from Fluvanna County High School enroute to Lincoln College of Technology. Chris was so proud of them, where they’re headed, and the people they’ve become. His energy and focus was always on being Georgia and Jake’s dad, the role he cherished most.
Chris is survived by Georgia, Jake, and Heather; his mom, Stella; brothers and sisters Mark, Lorraine, Tim, Greg, Fred, Diane, and Stella; nephews and nieces Sean, Ryan, Dominick, Ciana, Capri, Roman, Amelia, and Alexander; in-laws and such Pat, Toz, Paul, Juliana, Ann, Marietta, Brittany, Isaiah, Lucy, Bradley, and Brandon; lots of cousins; and many friends. He is preceded in death by his dad, Frederick.
In Chris’s memory, please consider a donation to Camp Kesem (https://donate.kesem.org/fundraiser/3537377), which works with the children of parents with cancer. It’s a group close to Georgia’s heart, and where she has volunteered.
Family and friends are invited to gather at Jefferson Funeral Chapel on Wednesday, May 18, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (prayers are at 3), and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Please view and sign the family guestbook.
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