Nyle Hendersen

NYLE GORDON HENDERSON June 14, 1940 ~ August 31, 2016 Embraced by the love of his family, Nyle Gordon Henderson passed away peacefully at his home in Eureka on Wednesday, August 31, 2016 after a long and courageous battle with metastatic thyroid cancer. He was 76. He leaves behind his wife Diane, his daughter Debra, his sister Kathy, his beloved grandchildren Nicolle, David and Kaley, and his great-grandchildren Bradley, Autumn, Damon and Bailey. Nyle Henderson was born on June 14, 1940 in Longview, Washington to Gordon and Ida Irene Henderson. He moved with his family to Humboldt County in 1947, living in Eureka and Fortuna and eventually settling in the Southern Humboldt County town of Redway. He graduated from South Fork High School in Miranda in 1958, the same year he married his high school sweetheart, Diane Shively. Later that year, they became parents to Debra, followed by daughter Cheryl in 1961, and son Steven in 1962. Nyle and Diane moved to Eureka in 1959, where they made their home, raised their family and operated their business. They celebrated 58 years of marriage this year on May 23, 2016. Nyle became a truck driver in 1958, and worked for many years at Hensell Materials and Customer Truck Service, before he and Diane became owners of Customer Truck and Coach Service in Eureka. He loved driving trucks and motor coaches and prided himself in offering top-notch professional transportation service to his customers. He retired in 2001, and later worked part-time as a consultant and buyer for DelReka Distributing Co. In addition to loving trucks, Nyle was an avid auto racing enthusiast and raced stock cars for many years at Redwood Acres and attended many professional car races throughout the country. He also had an appreciation for fine automobiles, including his custom mini-Kenworth truck, his pristine 1967 Ford Mustang Convertible, and his Mercedes SL 500 Roadster. He also loved to enjoy a glass of good red wine, most especially his favorite vintage, Rombauer Zinfandel. Nyle was most passionate about helping others and serving his community. He was an active member and leader of many clubs and service organizations. He was a former two-time president of the Rotary Club of Southwest Eureka and Past Exalted Ruler of the Eureka Elks Lodge. He also was a member of the Ingomar Club, the Redwood Shrine Club, the Humboldt Masonic Lodge, the Eureka Moose Lodge, and the California Trucking Association. Nyle also volunteered countless hours to benefit the American Cancer Society and its annual Relay For Life, along with working on behalf of the Be The Match/National Marrow Donor Program, Easter Seals, and the Area 1 Agency on Aging. Most notably, Nyle and Diane founded Project Share Life in 1997, a program sponsored by the Rotary Club of Southwest Eureka, after their son Steven was diagnosed with a blood cancer and was in desperate search of a bone marrow donor. Nyle committed himself to educating the public about bone marrow donation and worked hard to increase the number of people who were on the National Marrow Donor Program registry so that more lives could be saved. He and Diane worked dozens and dozens of local bone marrow drives and are responsible for adding thousands of names to the registry, so that any person in need of a bone marrow transplant might find a suitable match and have a second chance at life. Nyle was much loved and respected by his family and friends. He is survived by his devoted wife and sweetheart Diane Henderson, his loving daughter Debra Henderson Leonard and her husband Scott of Sacramento, and his loving sister Kathleen Henderson-Payne and her husband Gary of Eureka. He is also survived by his three adoring grandchildren: Nicolle Henderson of Medford OR, David Henderson and his wife Lindsay of Fortuna, and Kaley Matthews and her fianc‚ Dominic Cooper of West Sacramento; his great-grandchildren Autumn and Damon Barnes of Medford, and Bradley and Bailey Henderson of Fortuna; his nieces Beth and Sarah Bruce of Vancouver WA, and Danette Kosarich of Fortuna; and his nephews Jim Leiferman of Independence OR, David Leiferman of Jewell OR, and Tommy Shively III of Foresthill. Nyle was also loved dearly by his other daughter (and mother of Nikki and David) Sherie Henderson Bialous and her husband Kurt of Fortuna; his longtime family friend and surrogate son Michael Heddinger of Eureka; and his former son-in-law David Oshige of Sacramento. He also leaves behind many cousins including Joyce Smith of Eureka, Diane Bare of Shingletown, and Ida Faye Felthauser of Eureka; and numerous other cousins in Oregon and Washington. Nyle was a loyal and cherished friend to many who also mourn his loss, including his longtime friends and brothers Jim Cyphers, Kenny Wallan, Bert Mitchell, Bron Oglesby, John Gierek, Les Merrill and Craig Perrone, to name just a few. Nyle was preceded in death by his parents, Gordon and Irene Henderson; his beloved children Cheryl Lennette Henderson and Steven Wayne Henderson; and his dearest friend and mother Hazel Erbe. Nyle loved his family more than anything, and they will remember him for his sense of humor and the example he set and the lessons he taught them to do your very best and work hard for what you want in life, to give back to your community, to stay humble and think of others first, to cherish friendships, and most importantly, to always remember that even in tough times, there is always a reason to smile. The Henderson Family wishes to thank the kind and compassionate staff of Hospice of Humboldt, the medical staff at Stanford Health Care in Palo Alto for their excellent and caring treatment, and his local physician Dr. Petra Kuhfahl for her attentive care. We also want to thank the numerous friends and neighbors who helped Nyle and Diane during this most difficult time. Special thanks to Nyle's many friends for the calls, flowers and countless cards you sent during his illness and recent hospitalizations, and for the meals and visits since he came home in July and entered hospice care. We will remember your love and kindness always. A public memorial service to honor and celebrate the life of Nyle Gordon Henderson will be held on Tuesday, September 13, 2016 at 11:30 a.m. at the Eureka Elks Lodge, 445 Herrick Road in Eureka. Burial and graveside service will be private. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in memory of Nyle to one of his favorite charities, either: Hospice of Humboldt, 3327 Timber Fall Ct, Eureka, CA 95503 www.hospiceofhumboldt.org or Project Share Life/Rotary Club of Southwest Eureka P.O. Box 6054, Eureka, CA 95502. Or you may choose a charity of your choice that benefits the care and wellbeing of children or seniors in Humboldt County. Please sign the guestbook at www.times-standard.com

Published in Eureka Times-Standard from Sept. 8 to Sept. 11, 2016