Obituary

James Fenwick Henderson (1945-2017) Jamie passed away peacefully at home with family on Wednesday September 13th 2017. Beloved husband of Marilyn Miller for 36 years, and caring father of Johanna, Emma, and James. Jamie was predeceased by his parents, Fen & Betty, brother John, and brother in law David Nicholson. He will be greatly missed by his sister Joan Nicholson, his brother Peter (Margaret), and his in-laws Penny Henderson, John & Jean Miller, Connie & Charlie Batty, as well his nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.  Jamie was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario and attended Queen’s University (B. Sc. & M. Sc.). He had a long career in the public service working with Health & Welfare Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Labour as an Occupational Health and Safety Analyst. Jamie greatly enjoyed his 14 years of retirement with many trips taken and books read. He was a quiet and kind man, known for his intelligence, insight, and sense of humour. A memorial visitation will be held on Wednesday September 20th  between 6 and 9 pm at Cardinal Funeral Home, 92 Annette Street, Toronto. Jamie’s memorial service will be held on Thursday September 21st at 3 pm. If desired, in lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society or Amnesty International.

Visitation

Date
September 20, 2017
Location
Annette Chapel
Time
06:00 PM - 09:00 PM

Service

Date
September 21, 2017
Location
Annette Chapel
Time
03:00 PM

Cremation

*

September 20, 2017
Gerry Brown
We had many good times, good conversations, good laughs at the Ministry of Labour. Rest In Peace Jamie.... My condolences to your family.
September 20, 2017
Patrick King
Dear Marilyn and family, I was very saddened to learn of Jamie’s passing. My thoughts are with you at this difficult time. Jamie and I were next-door neighbours in Leonard Hall at Queen’s University in 1964 and we became very good friends. As others have noted Jamie had a wry sense of humour. Jamie and I exchanged letters for a few years after Queen’s. I found a few of them in an old box yesterday and his sense of humour still shines through after all these years. Jamie’s obituary mentioned his love of reading. We used to recommend books and music to each other; Jamie introduced me to John Barth and Philip Roth. By accident, but appropriately, Jamie was the witness to my marriage. I come from a very Catholic background and this was often the subject of gentle mocking from Jamie. In particular, he would blame me for the bells of St Mary’s Cathedral which used to disturb his Sunday morning sleep. Although I still went to church in those days Jamie thought my beliefs were more aligned with his Father’s Unitarianism, “a manifestation of the herd instinct among atheists” as he would say. My wife and I had a very small wedding with just immediate family and a few friends. We might have gotten married at city hall, but decided that that would not go over well. So inspired by Jamie we got married at the Unitarian Church on St Clair Ave. This was acceptable to my aunt, Sister Mary Stanislaus, but not to my father. My brother, who was to have been my witness, tried to convince him to come right to the last minute. In fact beyond the last minute. The minister finally said that we had to go on with the ceremony. My brother arrived just as the ceremony was ending. Given Jamie’s role in choosing the venue it seemed natural to ask him to be the witness. I am sure that you have many fond memories of Jamie and they will help to sustain you in the coming days. Sincerely Patrick King
September 19, 2017
Ed McCloskey
My condolences to Jamie’s family. His death is a great loss. I worked with Jamie during most of his time at the Ministry of Labour and it was always a pleasure. As noted by others, he was intelligent, thoughtful and humorous. Lunch or a beer with Jamie was always a thought-provoking and enjoyable time. He was also very good at what he did. He wrote, with minimal senior management supervision, one of the most influential documents produced by the Ministry during that time. He also drafted a speech for me to deliver as a keynote at an Asbestos conference. Because of other demands I was unable to review the draft beforehand and read it for the first time from the podium. Such was my confidence that his words would be both appropriate and thought-provoking. He didn’t let me down. The speech drew compliments from the audience.
September 15, 2017
Martha Weaver
Jamie was in the best sense of the word, a gentleman. I have always admired him, and will remember him, for being steadfast, strong and kind. I will miss his wry sense of humour and unfailing calm. Our conversations were always interesting and thoughtful. His chuckle was one of the best I ever heard. I am thinking of you all at this sad time. Love, Martha