Bernie Henderson, advisor to governors and ‘the very epitome of an engaged citizen,’ dies at 75

Bernard “Bernie” Henderson, a longtime figure in Richmond and Virginia Democratic politics who served under several state governors and was a fixture in the local funeral home industry in his later years, died on June 8 at age 75. 

His death was announced in an obituary and by several Richmond organizations, including the group Richmond First, whose president Jim Jernigan described Henderson as “a cherished long-standing member” of the nonprofit. 

“He was a dear friend to all of us — the very epitome of an engaged citizen,” Jernigan wrote. 

Henderson is survived by his wife Marie Jimenez Henderson and their two daughters, along with several grandchildren and extended family members.

His obituary described his “lifelong interest in politics,” one that included the notable experience of having served as a door-to-door campaigner for President John F. Kennedy in 1960 when Henderson himself was not yet a teenager. 

Henderson worked for multiple Virginia Democratic politicians in earlier decades, including state Dels. Junie Bradshaw and William Ferguson Reid and as well as state Sen. William F. Parkerson, Jr. He also served as a staff member in the office of U.S. Rep. W. Pat Jennings. 

His decades-long resume in Virginia politics saw him serve in numerous major state government departments, including leadership roles in the Virginia Bureau of Insurance, the State Corporation Commission, and the Virginia Department of Commerce.

Former Mayor Levar Stoney described Henderson as “one of the kindest men I ever met in political life” and “a gentleman to his core with an unwavering love for the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

He told the Richmonder that he first met Henderson when applying to serve as a governor’s fellow under Mark Warner during Warner’s 2002-2006 term. Henderson was on the interview panel and Stoney recalled him smiling warmly during the process. 

In 2023 Stoney mounted a bid for Virginia governor but suspended his campaign in April of 2024 and entered the race for lieutenant governor. After making that decision, “I received a handwritten note from Bernie,” he said. “The note encouraged me, thanked me, told me that it was a mature decision to run for lieutenant governor, that I should not hold my head down, and that one day he looked forward to calling me governor.”

“We framed that note in our campaign office, because it was the nicest thing that anyone ever said to me,” he said.

Henderson left full-time government employment at the conclusion of Gov. Tim Kaine’s administration in 2010, having served as Kaine’s interim secretary of the commonwealth and acting associate chief of staff. Though semi-retired, he would go on to serve roles in the McAuliffe and Northam administrations, including on the board of the Virginia War Memorial.

Kaine told The Richmonder that when Kaine himself was sworn in as lieutenant governor in 2002, Henderson “had been in [the state government] a long time.”

He said when he was elected governor in 2006, Henderson was working in the state Department of Health Professions. But “he had this unique ability to get to know everyone in the state government,” Kaine said.  

“Even though he had a particular function in just one agency, we used to kind of think of him as a ‘miracle worker’ in the state government—if you couldn’t figure out how to get something done, you’d call Bernie,” he said. 

He played roles in major events in Richmond’s history, Kaine said, including helping manage Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to the state in 2007. He also helped address the aftermath of the 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech. 

“If there was something big and unusual that maybe we didn’t have a playbook for, Bernie would always get asked by the chief of staff to come in and help,” Kaine said.

Henderson managed multiple funeral home locations in Virginia and Maryland for several years and eventually served as president of the local Woody Funeral Home for about half a decade. 

His interest in the subject went beyond the professional: the Kiwanis Club of Richmond says he was a “collector” of “facts about the deaths and funerals of presidents,” which he would present in history lessons to local civic groups. 

Kaine noted that with his background in funeral management, Henderson would also help oversee funeral arrangements for major public figures in Virginia. “Bernie would get involved to make sure the funeral was not only a credit to the person who was being memorialized but that it reflected Virginia’s appreciation of that person,” he said. 

Henderson even helped with the funeral of Kaine’s father-in-law, former Gov. Linwood Holton, who died in 2021.

At Holton’s funeral, “Bernie assembled the volunteers and coordinated with the church,” Kaine told the Richmonder. 

“I don’t even remember asking him to do it,” he said. “He just kind of knew he needed to do it. It was enormously helpful to my wife’s family and to all of us.” 

Even beyond extensive political work and service in the funeral industry, Henderson was a notably active member in Richmond civic life. A 2017 nomination form for that year’s Henrico Community Leader of the Year award listed Henderson’s service on numerous boards and in multiple nonprofit presidencies, including those of the Jewish Family Services of Richmond, the Richmond First Club, the Virginia War Memorial, the Shepherd Center of Richmond and others. 

Friends and colleagues shared warm memories of the longtime political leader online after his passing. He was described as “caring, intelligent, conscientious, thoughtful,” “the most humble man I ever knew,” “deeply involved in the community,” and a man with “a big smile, a big hug and kind words.”

Lacyn Barton, a manager of funeral revenue and merchandising at Service Corporation International, who has done funeral work in the region for years, wrote on Henderson’s obituary that he was “a skilled funeral professional, a terrific boss, a wise confidant, and one of the greatest storytellers I've ever known.”

She described him as “a loving second father whose guidance, humor, and unwavering belief in others shaped countless lives,” including her own. The funeral profession “has lost one of its finest, and I have lost someone I loved deeply,” she said. 

She thanked Henderson for teaching her the “appropriate times” to "write, phone, talk, whisper, nod, wink, or smile.”

“I'll carry his lessons, his stories, and his friendship with me always,” she said.

Stoney, meanwhile, described himself as “grateful for his friendship, his guidance, and his encouragement.” 

“He was the consummate Virginia gentlemen,” Stoney said. “He will be missed by so many.”