William Austin Henderson

William Austin Henderson, 58 of Barstow, California passed away peacefully at home on October 7, 2020, with his family lovingly by his side, after losing a multiyear battle with cancer. He was born on June 15, 1962 in Bakersfield, California to Pauline Ellen Lewis Henderson and grew up in the Ridgecrest, Inyokern, Kern River, California areas.

William joined the United States Army in 1981 and during his active duty service was promoted to Sergeant, served three years overseas in Germany, received numerous ribbons, badges and medals, and completed several military education courses. William was honorably discharged from the military in 1988 at Fort Irwin, California and settled in Barstow, California where he resided for the next 32 years.

William and Michelle married in Barstow in 1992 and together with Will’s son Joseph they made Barstow their home. William and Michelle were married for 28 years.

William retired from employment with the City of Barstow in 2018 after 25 years of service, most of which was in the Engineering Department as an Inspector.

William’s hobbies included travel, photography, hiking and camping.

William is survived by his wife, Michelle (Blankenhorn) Henderson; son, Joseph William Henderson; grandson, Simon Henderson Cover; mother, Pauline Henderson; stepfather, Tom Henderson; brother, Dexter Henderson; sisters, Debbie Winters, Cheryl Henderson, Kim Evans; and aunts, uncle, cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents William Austin and Betty Jane Lewis.

A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, October 24, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. with a viewing from 4:00-5:00 p.m. at Mead Mortuary in Barstow, California. Public viewing of the 5:00 p.m. ceremony will be available virtually due to Covid restrictions. Please email [email protected] to receive information regarding accessing the virtual service. The in-person service and viewing is limited to 20 people and reserved for family. There will also be a brief graveside service at Riverside National Cemetery on Monday, October 26, 2020, at 11:45 a.m., all are welcome to attend.

Mead Mortuary requires the following: Face masks are mandatory at all times, Face coverings are not acceptable (Gators and scarfs) and please remember to maintain social distance. Hand sanitizer will be provide by Mead Mortuary.

Below is the link to the YouTube live stream for William Henderson's service on Sat, Oct 24th.

Scheduled Stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISRbChFArZ8

Graveside Service - Monday, October 26, 2020 at 11:45 a.m. Riverside National Cemetery:

Scheduled Stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTf626-g2w0

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.meadcares.com for the Henderson family.