David Lynford Henry March 21, 1944 – January 23, 2019 Share this obituary Send Flowers Sign Guestbook| Send Private Condolences| Send Sympathy Card David Lynford Henry, 74, passed away on January 23, 2019 in Olympia, Washington. His final moments were peaceful; he was surrounded by his wife, children, and all the love from everyone who has known him. A Celebration of Life will be held at the Olympia Country and Golf Club’s Rainier Room at 1pm on Saturday, March 9th.
Please wear plaid in honor of Dave’s favorite attire, plaid flannel shirts. Dave was born in Oakridge, Tennessee, the oldest of Horace (Hank) Lynford, Jr. and Betty-Anne Starr Henry’s three children. He was raised in Richland, Washington where Hank was a physicist at Hanford.
With an impish twinkle in his bright blue eyes, Dave told amusing stories about his boyhood escapades in his desert home: climbing a radio antenna to get the perfect photograph, getting stuck on a small island while running his homemade hydroplane in the chilly Columbia River, accidentally grazing an unsuspecting horseback rider with a rocket. Dave graduated with a degree in Anthropology from the University of Washington. He was a member of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity and Russian House, where he met the love of his life and future wife, Judith Ann Krull.
At ages 19 and 21, Judy and Dave wed after just six months of dating. They were married for fifty-two years and had four children and ten grandchildren. Russian was always their “secret language,” a reminder of their youth, a bond over a shared affinity for foreign languages and cultures, and a way to talk about Christmas presents in front of the kids.
Judy and Dave welcomed their son, Brian Lynford, and their first daughter, Joslyn C (Sasha), while Dave attended Albany Law School in New York. Dave then worked several years as an attorney for the Legal Aid Society of Albany before moving back to Washington where he had a long and successful career as an Administrative Law Judge for Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services’ Office of Appeals. There, Dave was dedicated to helping families, especially children, and was well-respected for his intellect, leadership, integrity, and fairness.
While scraping by in law school, Dave and Judy grew a few vegetables in a small, soil-filled orange crate they jokingly referred to as the “back forty”. Later they acquired acreage outside of Olympia that became their modern-day homestead and true “back forty”. Daughters Megan Elizabeth and Catherine (Katie) Parmelee were born during Dave and Judy’s attempt to carve a farm out of these woods.
Dave loved travel and had been to Europe, Egypt, Japan, and the Caribbean. Two summers ago, he and Judy took the entire family on a cruise to Alaska to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Dave is survived by his wife Judy, four children and their spouses (Brian and Patty Henry, Sasha Henry and David Mitchell, Megan Henry, and Katie and Brett Stark), ten grandchildren (Remy, Jolyn, Maya, Maleila, Serenne, Xuan-Xanh, Som-Mai, Kieu-Lan, Delphine, and Penelope), and brother (Peter Henry).
He was incredibly generous and found meaning in freely giving his time, energy, enthusiasm, garden-bounty, advice, and expertise. He genuinely enjoyed learning from others and hearing their life stories. Dave was a loyal and loving husband, involved and caring dad and granddad, trusted advisor, strong and hard worker, and a true friend.
He is deeply loved and profoundly missed. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to The Nature Conservancy, The Black Hills Audubon Society, or Planned Parenthood. Please also consider registering as an organ donor and frequently donating blood, as Dave did.
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