Nathan Allen Henderson

The second child and only son to Clair and James Henderson, he was born March 2, 1953 in Dallas, TX. The family moved to the small town of Ennis when Nathan was a pre-teen. He graduated from Ennis High School in 1971. Nathan attended Stephen F. Austin University, graduating in 1975 with degrees in philosophy and English. He was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, where he met lifelong friends.

By the time he was 17, Nathan’s love of cars solidified. He had saved up enough money to buy a new, special order 1970 Dodge Coronet Deluxe - Vitamin C orange with a white vinyl top. Over the years, Nathan would own practical cars like a 1974 Honda Civic and a 1979 VW Rabbit and sporty cars - two Toyota Supras and two Ford Mustang GTs. Those who are longtime friends will also recall Nathan cruising around in his white Jag. By far, his favorite car was his last: a 2002 red Cabrio Porsche Boxster with a blue drop cloth. He also bought and rebuilt several motorcycles and challenged the curves of 2222 - always protected head to toe in leather after an initial accident. The leather helped tremendously in several subsequent mishaps.

He met his wife, Linda Stanley, in Dallas in 1977 when they both worked for Liberty Mutual. They married on November 25, 1978 and lived in Dallas before relocating to Austin where Linda would attend UT Law School. They raised their son, Malcolm, and daughter, Claire, in the house they bought in 1984 in Jester Estates in the hills of northwest Austin. Among other mischievous endeavors in the new neighborhood, they played countless hours of frisbee golf along the empty lots and newly paved roads with their Austin friends including one of their closest friends, Shawn.

They built a community of friends in their cul-de-sac on Desert Rose Cove. Their house was in the center of “the Cove” and everyone was always welcome. Nathan and Linda also developed a great group of friends on the Jester tennis courts: Ian, Joe, Kevin, Alan, Linda, Rossi, Peggy, and others. “Tequila Tuesdays” always ended with the group sipping very good tequila and reviewing the games just played.

After working several years as an investigator and legal assistant with Gibbins, Burrow & Bratton and Kidd, Whitehurst & Harkness, he worked for the tort claims division of the Texas Office of the Attorney General. The official AG badge got him out of a few tight spots for years. He then worked with Linda in her family law practice where he comforted, cheered up or hugged many people in difficult circumstances. Nathan retired in 2021. His favorite position, however, was being a dad to Malcolm and Claire. He loved them wildly.

A gregarious, ever-happy man, Nathan made friends wherever he went: with the Ultimate frisbee crowd (Matt, Gregg, Murray, and Hunter, to name but a few) at Whitaker Fields and afterward at the Draught House where he and his sweaty friends would drink German beer until everyone ran out of money; with the locals while traveling in South America and Europe, despite having minimal vocabulary in the local language; with pretty much everyone he met. Nathan communicated with his friendliness and intelligence and his love of life. Although cancer left him without his voice and boisterous laugh in the last year of his life, those who knew and loved Nathan will remember that laugh and that voice forever. When he wasn’t hamming it up at the gym, one would often find Nathan in a chair in his driveway, throwing a ball to his dog, Alkira, where his extensive family of neighbor friends would join him for a good argument about politics or a pondering discussion about existentialism - and an occasional fine beer or glass of wine.

An avid reader, Nathan enjoyed science fiction, the classics, and everything in between. And he didn’t just read these books - he studied them, and he understood them. One of his last conversations before the cancer robbed him of his voice and then his life was about the lunch counters and diners scattered throughout the works of one of his favorite authors, Cormac McCarthy.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Clair, and father, James. He is survived by his wife Linda Stanley, son Malcolm (wife Rachel Jew), daughter Claire Smith (husband Josh and daughters Camille and Scarlett), sister Donna Watts (children Amy Haisler and James), precious dog and loyal companion Alkira, numerous cousins, and a lifetime of friends.

A memorial will be held on Saturday, January 14, 2023, 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm at 7205 Desert Rose Cove, Austin, TX 78750.

Memorial contributions can be made in Nathan’s honor to the Austin Public Library.