Mr. Joseph “Joe,” "Pa Joe," or "Clissy" Eccleston Henderson, Sr. transitioned on April 21, 2019, at the age of 76. He was surrounded by family in Marietta, GA when he passed from health complications. Joseph is survived by his wife, Bernice, of Marietta; children, Devon Shay (Brenda), Patricia, Marsha (Dimitri), Joseph, Jr., and Cassandra A. Henderson; nine grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents, E. Horatio and Sarah Henderson; daughter, JoAnn; and siblings, Mrs. Ivy Brown and Glenroy “Teddy” Henderson.
Joseph was born on June 16, 1942, in York, St. Thomas, Jamaica, West Indies. In April of 1954, at the age of eleven, after the death of his father, Horatio, he moved to Somerset to apprentice as a carpenter under James Downie, whom he later learned was his biological father. As a teenager, Joseph moved to Kingston, where he owned and operated a carpentry shop until he immigrated to New York in July of 1969 under the Skilled Labor Migration Program.
Joseph became a journeyman carpenter in the Westchester County Carpenter’s Union in 1970 and worked with them until moving to Marietta in 1988. As a master carpenter, Joseph worked on numerous projects ranging from private homes, hospitals, schools, universities, churches, bridges, buildings, and apartment complexes to renovating and remodeling his own properties in New York, Connecticut, and Georgia. Every day, Joseph was dedicated to working, but he still found time for family, friends, reading, and music.
While working as a freelance carpenter, he met Bernice, and they married in 1970. Over the years, the couple welcomed five children into their home. In his later years, Joseph played a fatherly role to his grandson Jabari and doted on him and his other grandchildren. Joseph’s children remember him as a wise, kind, jovial, gentle, patient, and hard-working father who encouraged them to pursue their goals and supported them unconditionally in their endeavors.
A wake will be held Thursday, April 25, 2019, from 4:00-8:00 p.m. The funeral service is scheduled for Friday, April 26, 2019, at 2:00 p.m. Both services will be held in the Chapel at Georgia Memorial Park (2000 Cobb Pkwy, Marietta, GA 30060). The Reverend Cassandra A. Henderson will officiate the ceremony. All family and friends are welcome to attend and celebrate Joseph's life. In lieu of flowers, if you are able, please donate or encourage others to donate blood.
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