REIA; In Memorium; Fox Henderson - REIA, the Real Estate Investors Association of Washington

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In Memory of

REIA Co-Founder Fox Henderson

It is with great sorrow that we report the death of REIA Co-Founder Fox Henderson.

Please join us in both mourning his loss and celebrating his life.

Fox grew up in a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama and attended a small college in central Alabama. There he earned his degree in Biology with minors in Physics and Chemistry and was one of the founders of the campus chapter of Delta Chi Fraternity.

Fox proudly served his country in the US Air Force and went on to serve in the US Navy in a civilian capacity. His first career was in the nuclear industry for Offshore Power Systems in partnership with Westinghouse Electric and Newport News Shipbuilding, then with Ingalls Shipbuilding and later as one of the few handpicked by Admiral Hyman G. Rickover to start up the nuclear division of Lockheed Shipbuilding in Seattle.

After the Lockheed nuclear division was up and running, Fox shifted his career to general shipbuilding and restoration. He oversaw the construction and restoration of crab boats at MARCO and Duwamish Shipyards including the complete restoration of the F/V Arctic Wind after she sank on her maiden voyage and was submerged in the icy waters of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska for six months.

Throughout his career, Fox sought a path to self-employment, something his father was excelling at on the Gulf of Mexico. Relocations and bureaucracy were certainly less appealing at that point and self-employment plans were put into action. Fox and his wife Shirley owned a successful general contracting business for twenty years as their career in real estate investing began, including Fox’s brief stint selling real estate. The contracting business went by the wayside as they went full on in investing, something neither regretted.

Fox and Shirley founded REIA in 2007 for the same reasons many continue to join the association today as they sought more education and networking opportunities. REIA simply has simply been another arm of a growing real estate investing career that Fox and Shirley have thoroughly enjoyed, certainly including the many friends met along the way.

Fox’s illness, which was discovered in the summer of 2023, was complicated. It was basically the result of an autoimmune that was related to chemical exposures in the military, compounded by both diabetes and a mild case of COVID. Fox passed from this world surrounded by family and was put to rest with family, friends, clergy and military honors.

Fox is survived by his wife Shirley Henderson, two children, two grandchildren, three brothers and sisters-in-law, an adoring mother-in-law, a multitude of nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, great-great nieces and nephews and a wealth of friends.

Fox lived a happy, well loved, rich life. His faith, family, country and career were the most important elements of his life.

As you remember Fox please say a prayer, light a candle and raise a glass to a life well lived.

If you would like to make a donation in memory of Fox, we suggest The Gary Sinise Foundation (https://www.garysinisefoundation.org/) in support of Military, Veterans, First Responders and their families. Fox and Shirley have supported The Gary Sinise Foundation for some time and Shirley continues to support them.

Thank you for your prayers, condolences, well wishes, loyalty and support.

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