Our father was born March 7, 1942 to Martha Rosalee White in Salina, Kansas and was preceded in death by his wife Minta McHenry, the love of his life. When visiting Dad, he would make it a point to take us by their spot, a cute little ice cream parlor they would visit. They loved each other dearly; they are together now.
He is survived by his children Chonva, Maurita Weaver, Sean, Ameer, Dawn Baker, Myia Williams, and Chantal McHenry; grandchildren Aaron Walker, Lateka Salley, Jamie Crawford, Ajah Baker, Laron Baker, Amila Gore, Taylor Baker, Yazmeen Baker, and Kai-Lei Baker; sons in law Peter McHenry, Antoine Gore and Thomas Williams.
Dad attended Kansas State University, served honorably in the Army, clocked many miles as a truck driver, and continued to drive for a local auto dealership in Denver Colorado until his health limited his activities. If he could, he would still be on the road.
Home is where the heart is. Dad lived in Wyoming, Virginia, and Kansas; however all roads led back to Denver. While he would like to have shared more and even considered a ghost writer for his memoirs, the remainder of his adventures will go unspoken. He was quite a character and we loved him. When asked about a specific message to share for this, he said, "Just let everyone know I am REALLY gone, you won't see me popping up at a gas station like Elvis."
He lived a life of inclusion and adventure. He touched those around him with a special indescribable magic. Dad could also get serious quickly. He was steadfast in teaching us the origins of our Black Community, our fight to be recognized as human beings and what it would collectively take to continue breaking the chains of our past. Dad served all of us through his activism during the civil rights movement. He was recognized for coordinating local efforts for several marches, leading to the hard-earned protections of today; he would say we have more work to do. He made it a priority to share his knowledge, his pride in our community for reclaiming the God given liberties taken and kept from us, and his disappointment when he saw individuals in our community backsliding by perpetuating negative stereotypes.
Dad would want each of us to fearlessly enjoy our lives, protect those we love, and continue to do better. We, his family, challenge each of you to keep his legacy alive.
The Memorial Services for Brother Don McHenry will be available for streaming this Friday, December 16th, at 11:00am. The service will be streamed by the Lowry Community Christian Church Audio/Visual Team on the following platforms:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/L3CDenver/
Twitch:
https://www.twitch.tv/l3cdenver
YouTube: Lowry Community Christian Church
(
https://www.youtube.com/c/LowryCommunityChristianChurch/videos
)
Online: LCCC | Grace. Discipleship. Love (lowrychurch.org)(
https://online.lowrychurch.org/
)