Sylvia Shaw (Longoria) Henson

Sylvia Shaw Longoria Henson, age 84, departed this life to be with her Savior on March 9, 2019 at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital Hospice in Jackson, Tennessee, following a protracted illness.

Funeral Services were held at 2 P.M. Saturday, March 16, 2019 in the chapel at the Peebles Main Funeral Chapel in Somerville, Tennessee (18020 U.S. Highway 64), with the Reverend John White, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, officiating. Interment at Somerville Cemetery immediately followed the funeral. Those honored to serve as pallbearers were Chris Henson, Trey Climer, Adam Goldstein, Elliot Benitez, Scott Thomason and Chris Thomason.

Sylvia was born June 11, 1934 in Somerville, the daughter of Elizabeth Shaw Longoria and John Wilson “Jack” Longoria. She was a 1952 graduate of Fayette County High School. Sylvia married Chris Henson in 1950 and they resided in Memphis for 25 years. Together, they had 3 children, Dr. Michael C. Henson (b. 1954), Linyard Shaw Henson (b. 1961), and Dr. Allison E. Climer (b. 1962). In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her son, Linyard (d. 1961), and husband (d. 1984).

Following her marriage, and in addition to fulltime homemaking, Sylvia enjoyed a long professional career in employment counseling, medical office management, medical support services, and medical transcription. She retired from fulltime employment twice, from St. Joseph’s Hospital - Memphis in 1987, and from Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in 2007. She was a voracious reader for many years, an animal lover, a fan of the Tennessee Volunteers, and was a talented artist, with many of her watercolors adorning the homes and offices of family and friends.

Sylvia, a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Jackson. She is remembered first and foremost for the all-encompassing love she held for her husband, family, and friends, but also for the droll, deadpan, “take-no-prisoners” sense of humor that she has obviously passed down to her children and grandchildren. Sylvia is survived by two children, Michael (wife, Libby) and Allison (husband, Rex); five grandchildren, Kate (husband, Adam), Rachel (husband, Elliot), Chris (wife, Christy), Trey (wife, Elizabeth), and Crystal; and five great-grandchildren, Zoey, Charlotte, Vivienne, Alexandra, and Knox – with 2 more great-grandchildren on the way.

Her family suggests that memorials in Sylvia’s memory be directed to The Coalition for Hemophilia B, 757 Third Avenue, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10017 or at https://www.hemob.org/donate .