Brenda Gail Henry

Brenda Henry, age 78, passed away Sunday, February 27, 2022, at Sentara Regional Hospital, Williamsburg, Virginia. She was born in Winston-Salem, NC as the first child of Charlie McCullough and Margaret Self McCullough.

After her parents relocated to New York City she completed her primary and secondary education in the New York City public schools system. She was a graduate of Samuel D. Tilden High School in Brooklyn, New York. After high school she went to school for data processing. She was among the first group of data processors working on Wall Street in the 1960’s. During this period, she bought her first home in New Jersey.

After a failed marriage in 1972, Brenda, and her daughter Kim, relocated to Washington, DC. Brenda accepted a position in data processing with the National Automobile Dealers Association. During this time, she met Clifton Henry, whom she married in 1974, but who has been the love of her life for the past fifty years.

The new Henry family moved to Bethesda, MD where they resided for 32 years. Brenda started 2 new businesses. The first, Keypunch Cottage Industries (KCI) was a network of home data processing operators who she organized to take on jobs that were too big for a single operator. The second, Home-tech Data, did the quick turn-around data processing work for the National Automobile Dealers Association (Blue Book) and the Marriott Hotel Corporation. Brenda always credited her grand mom who operated a food service business for blue collar workers in Winston-Salem, NC as passing to her the entrepreneurial skills needed to start and manage these businesses. Brenda retired as President of Home-tech Data in 2006 when she and Clifton retired to Williamsburg, VA.

Brenda’s two first loves were gardening and traveling. When living in Bethesda she enjoyed her flower gardens, since moving to Williamsburg, she has had far less space. Nevertheless, when springtime came, she was always looking forward to seeing what new flower combinations she could come up with and she was always looking for and planning the next cruise vacation. Over the course of the past 40 years, she visited all five continents and over 27 countries. Her favorite countries where South Africa and Italy, and her favorite activities were walking the Great Wall of China and Walking with the Lions in South Africa.

Brenda is survived by her husband, Clifton Henry, their daughter, Kim McCullough and her daughter’s fiancé, Avena; a Grandaugther, Shamaal Pilehvar; four great grandchildren: Jamaal Pilehvar, Seterah Pilehvar, Nataniah Pilehvar, and Ramiyar Pilehvar; a brother, Charlie McCullough; a sister Charlena Pettus and her husband George, her sister in-laws Jo-Ann Henry and Barbara Henry and her husband, Joe along with a host of loving nieces and nephews and an extended family. You know who you ARE!!!