Roy Henderson

Roy Charles Henderson

November 21, 1936 – April 29, 2025

Roy Henderson passed away at his home in Columbia, Maryland after a long illness at the age of 88. Born in Washington, DC, a product of Northwestern High School in University Park, Maryland in Prince George's County, Roy was an outstanding athlete in basketball and baseball, representing his school on the Prince George’s County All-Star Team. After high school, he played basketball and baseball at Washington College on Maryland’s eastern shore. His senior year, he famously pitched a no-hitter in the team’s win in the Mason-Dixon Conference championship against Loyola.

After college, he played one year in the Washington Senators minor league system and then came back to Prince George's County to teach and coach for more than 30 years. As a coach, his total basketball record was 375 wins and 142 losses. His basketball teams reached the state finals five times, winning the state championship in 1973. He was selected five times as PG County’s Coach of the Year. In 1984 he was selected to coach the Capital Classic All-Stars versus the U.S. All-Stars. He finished his coaching career by serving as an NCAA Division I assistant basketball coach at Towson University, George Washington University and UMBC. In 2004, he was inducted in into the Washington College Athletic Hall of Fame. After retiring from the school system, Roy brought his competitive edge to his tennis game, where he enjoyed many hours on the court. He spent a number of years in Ocean Pines, MD where he was able to enjoy his love of the ocean. One especially enjoyable retirement hobby was exploring new restaurants and trying out different dessert recipes, much to the delight of his family.

Roy was preceded in death by his parents, Marion and Willis Henderson. He is survived by his wife Linda Blakeslee and his stepchildren Sara and Ian Hume, his sister Joan Reichart and his children from a previous marriage, Linda Prudente (Lou), Michael Henderson (Robin) and Donna Carlson (Daren) and his seven grandchildren: Tim Prudente (Christina), Abby Norris (Tyler), Alyssa Prudente (David), Rachel Girod (Moses), Olivia Wilson (Zach), Michael Henderson (Shannon) and Christopher Carlson, as well as six great grandchildren: Oliver, Luca, Cecilia, Samuel, James and Willa.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.