Fabrizio Gowdy
News Service of Florida
On Jan. 2, Army Sgt. 1st Class Mark Henderson Jr. died at Camp Arifjan, a United States Army installation in Kuwait.
Henderson was a 41-year-old husband, father, and Havana native.
Henderson met Carolena Henderson, his wife of twenty years, when they were teenagers at Havana First Baptist Church. He initially joined the Army as a military police officer with the intention of becoming an FWC officer, but was instead called up to a deployment in Afghanistan.
“His first deployment really opened his eyes to what he said he needed to do for his country. All of a sudden it kicked into full gear, like ‘this is why we’re over here, this is why we serve our country, they need us.’ It was surreal,” said Carolena, remembering the first time her husband called her on deployment.
Henderson would eventually serve two deployments in Afghanistan, one in Cuba, and two in Kuwait, as well as a special mission to South Korea.
Between deployments, he also worked as a corrections officer in Wakulla County.
According to Carolena, Henderson was quiet and humble but nonetheless made a lasting impression on many of those he served with.
She estimates that 70 to 100 soldiers have messaged her since his passing to share the ways Henderson helped them during their deployments.
Henderson’s younger brother Joseph remembers his brother’s steadfast faith, which was an integral part of his life from an early age. He recalls one occasion where Henderson had a long conversation respectfully debating some Jehovah’s Witnesses who had knocked on the family’s door seeking to evangelize.
“He loved Jesus, and that was a big part of his life,” Joseph said.
Henderson was also a devoted father to his three kids, John, Owen, and Anna, attending every single one of his children’s sporting events, recitals, and other activities that he could.
Carolena says the level of support her family has received from the community since her husband’s passing is something only a small town can provide. When she returned from Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, which received her husband’s remains on Jan. 6, friends and neighbors had cut her grass and pressure washed her house.
“It’s so comforting because I know I have a multitude of people, whether it’s from the church or in the community, that if they can help they will,” said Carolena.
Henderson’s family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24 at the Faith Funeral Home & Crematory, located at 6972 FL/GA HWY. A funeral service is scheduled for 1 p.m. the following day at Havana First Baptist Church, and internment with full military honors will follow at Tallahassee Memory Gardens.
