Lillian Madeline Henderson's Obituary
Lillian Madeline (Gravseth) Henderson passed away at 98 on April 14, 2024, in Ellensburg, Washington, where she had resided for nearly seven years. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend who will be deeply missed by all who knew her. Lillian was born at home on May 2, 1925, in Tacoma, Washington, to Norwegian parents, Carl and Marie Gravseth. She spent most of her life in Tacoma, raising her children, enjoying boating on Puget Sound, keeping a beautiful home, and gardening. Married to Robert P. Hammond for twenty-seven years, she later married William Henderson, who died in 1990. Lillian pursued a business career as a retail clerk at some of Tacoma’s finest department stores, eventually retiring from Frederick and Nelson. She then volunteered with the Orthopedic Guild at Tacoma's Mary Bridge Hospital, where she ran the hospital’s gift shop. In retirement, Lillian explored her creative side, following her love of art and writing. She sketched and painted over a dozen landscape scenes. As a storyteller, she wrote a collection of true stories remembered from her first ten years of life, but many of her stories were by word of mouth. One fictional story began as a persistent dream over several years, which soon became the start of a short novel in her eighties. With the help of her daughter, this novel was published in 2023, titled A Village Forgotten. Lillian cherished her family above all, puppies included. A lifelong Christian, her faith in God brought comfort and strength in the end. She is survived by four children, Sharon Himsl, Robert Hammond, Diana Price, and William Stevenson, and one brother, Arthur Gravseth. She had ten grandchildren, eighteen great grandchildren, and three great-great grandchildren.
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