Leslie "Les" W. Henderson
April 11, 1956 - January 29, 2024
Obituary
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Les W. Henderson on January 29, 2024 after a short battle with cancer. Les died peacefully in the hospital with his children at his bedside. Born on April 11, 1956, in Portland, Oregon, he is predeceased by his mother Mary Swamby and survived by his father Paul Henderson, his loving wife of 42 years Jane, and his 6 children: Rick, John, Ann, Jesse, Maya, and Jake. He leaves behind 13 adoring grandchildren and will be deeply missed by many.
Les graduated from Bellevue High School in 1974. As a bonafide ‘dead-head” he spent a good part of the 1970s following Jerry Garcia and attending Grateful Dead concerts around the country. He started his career in construction by building foundations in and around the Bellevue and Kirkland area. After a few years selling real estate, he spent over two decades as owner/operator of a general contracting company, Marielle Inc.. His family relied on his expertise and Les was honored and proud to help realize the visions they had for their homes.
Les found joy in collecting and restoring mid-century International Harvesters, traveling the country to attend shows and competitions. He won national awards with his beloved ‘Buttercup’ (a yellow 1964 International Travelall). In his final years, he escaped the dreary PNW winters by ‘snowbirding’ to Arizona and traveling the world with his wife. He had a capacity to love that was unmatched, and nothing made him happier than building memories with his grandchildren.
The family is grateful to Dr. Ying Liu and the excellent medical care team at St. Francis-Virginia Mason hospital, especially nurses Ruth and Grace for their empathy, compassion, and exceptional support during his final days.
A gathering of friends and family will be held at Twin Lakes Golf and Country Club on March 16, 2024, at 1:30 pm to honor Les. For details, and to RSVP, please email us at celebrationforles@gmail.com. If you have any pictures of Les, or stories you would like to share, please feel free to send them to this email address as well.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Christ Lutheran Church.
