Michele Ann

Henderson

Michele Ann Henderson

Michele was born Christmas Day 1946 in Albany, California to Robert and Leona Henderson. After moving to Palo Alto, she and her brother Robert grew up in the Southgate neighborhood, across the street from Stanford.

Michele graduated from Palo Alto High School and enjoyed working in retail sales on the Peninsula. While working as a customer service representative at the Palo Alto Times Tribune, she met Greg and began a lifelong relationship. They were married in 1996.

The newspaper closed in 1993 and Michele started the Preferred Quality carpet cleaning business. In the late 90’s and early Y2K she worked for the Fenwick and West law firm and the Jewelry Exchange in Burlingame.

After relocating to Modesto, Michele enjoyed her retirement decorating her home and garden. She spent much of her time helping Greg’s mother adjust to a senior home in Modesto. She had also done the same for a friend of the family in San Mateo. She was very giving of her time.

Michele and Greg made three trips to Europe exploring sites in Ireland, England, France, Italy and Egypt. Her hobbies included working with costume jewelry designs and decorating picnic baskets with holiday themes.

A pet lover, her little cat pals Nola, Bob, and Benny were her cherished companions. She always took care of strays and feral cats who wandered into our yard. She would find them homes and even once rescued a peacock.

Michele liked picking lottery numbers and racehorses. She had good luck on long shots at Bay Meadows and contenders in the Kentucky Derby. She also had good streaks at the craps tables in Lake Tahoe. The Biltmore, Cal-Neva and the Lakeside Inn were among her favorite hotels.

She preferred the old classic movies and radio shows to live television. She was always searching for The Thin Man, Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto. When it came to asking who played in what, she had an instant recall of actors and who they were married to.

Our trip to Carmel was our last outing. A Scottish bag piper was playing on the beach at sunset. We just watched the sun go down and took home our cherished memories.

Memorial Service and Link

Donations: Valley Humane Society Medical Assistance Fund…valleyhumane.org