Ronald Henderson

Ronald Eugene Henderson resident of Benicia, California, passed away surrounded by his family after a bout with late-stage cancer.

Ron was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in Overland Park, Kansas.  He graduated from Shawnee Mission West High School where he played trumpet in their award winning jazz and marching bands.  Ron graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Kansas.

Ron worked for Black & Veatch for his entire career, becoming a Vice President and lead membrane water treatment plant designer.  Ron and his wife Betsy relocated to Tempe, Arizona for project work, where he completed his master’s degree, and then to the San Francisco Bay Area for work in the B&V Walnut Creek Office.

They had two children, Alexander and Leslie, whom he loved dearly. Ron was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) in 2007 and took early retirement in 2015. Ron’s lifelong passions included muscle cars, model trains, cats, golf, the KC Chiefs and KU Jayhawks, and drinking cabernet with friends in the wine country.  He and Betsy restored a historic house in Oregon and their Victorian in Benicia.  Ron also loved the Rock Steady Boxing program designed for those with PD.

Ron is survived by his wife Betsy, son Alexander, daughter Leslie, and his sister Neva Schleper, her husband Charlie, and their daughters Amy Schleper and Angela Wong, her husband Andrew and their sons Gideon and Jak.

Memorial services are planned on July 1, 2021, at 11:00am at the Passalaqua Funeral Chapel, 901 W 2nd Street, Benicia, CA and on July 16, 2021, at 10:00am at the Johnson County Chapel & Memorial Gardens, 11200 Metcalf Avenue, Overland Park, KS.