Sylvia B. Henry

Sylvia Booth Henry passed away on February 16, 2011 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Baltimore Maryland. She was 93 years old. Born in Choptank, Maryland on May 27, 1917, her parents, Alexander Booth and Maude Jeanette Todd Booth christened her in a large bowl on the family dining room table. The bowl for years served the same purpose for her three sons and a number of grandchildren, nieces and nephews. From her mother’s side of the family, she has lineage leading back to Mary Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln’s wife. Her cousin, William McDaniel, is well known for establishing Western Maryland’s College, recently re-named in his honor. After her family moved to Allendale St. in West Baltimore at an early age, she attended Lyndhurst Elementary School, Gwynns Falls Junior High School and was graduated from Western High School, Class of 1936. Before graduation, at the age of fifteen, however, she started work as a gift wrapper at Hutzler Brothers Department Store. After graduation, she became a sales person in the sports department of Hochschild Kohn & Co. Later, she was employed as a facial operator at two North Charles St. beauty salons, which led to training at Bartlett Beauty Shop in New York City to become a special sales representative for Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubenstein at Baltimore’s Stewart’s and May Company department stores. With the advent of television, she promoted new cosmetics with her niece, Joanne McCullough, a model with the Ford’s Modeling Agency. This led to a job as a special representative at Lucien LeLong Cosmetics, until July 1937, when she married Edward G. Henry, who worked at the Fidelity Deposit Co. in Baltimore. They lived for a number of years at Bozman, MD, but after a divorce, she lived with her son, Craig Henry in Maine, Mississippi and since 2003 in Annapolis, MD. In the 1950’s when Russians crushed an uprising in the Hungarian People’s Republic, numerous refugees fled to the United States. Mrs. Henry, after reading of their plight, went to the YMCA in Baltimore, where many of the refugees were temporarily housed, to volunteer her help. Because of her deep concern she “adopted” 21 Hungarian refugees, ages 15 to 45. For nearly a year, she helped boys and men to find apartments, churches of their faith and entertained them for their first Christmas in this country. Since many could not speak English, they drew pictures to describe their vocations and she helped them find jobs. She later received a commendation from then governor Theodore R. McKeldin. She is survived by Edward G.A. Henry, and his wife Nancy; Dr. Craig W. Henry, and his wife Deborah and their son Todd; and Kim M. Henry and his fiancée, Darlene Hertdner and his adopted son Andrew. Sylvia also had many other close friends and business colleagues such as Donald Schafer, Mayor of Baltimore and subsequent Governor. After becoming close friends with Angus King, she worked intently to support his second term as Governor of Maine. Gene Burns and she faced many challenges in the 60’s and 70’s as they enhanced and re-engineered his career as a leading radio talk show host broadcasting coast to coast. Throughout life people make many friends. However, words cannot describe the closeness of the friendship she had for over 40 years with Dr. Thomas E. Wheeler. Flowers are appreciated or donations can be made to the Breast Cancer Society, Inc., 6859 E. Rembrandt Avenue, Mesa, AZ 85212 in memory of Sylvia B. Henry. Funeral services will be held at 2:30 pm on Saturday, February 19, 2011 at Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home, P. A., Easton, MD, where friends may call beginning at 1:00pm. Interment will follow at Spring Hill Cemetery, Easton, MD.

Sylvia B. Henry

May 27, 1917 - February 16, 2011