Jack Ponder Henley Jr.'s Obituary
Jack Ponder Henley, Jr. died at his home in Alexandria, Virginia on December 28, 2011 of renal cell cancer. He was 65; Mr. Henley was born in Nashville, Tennessee to Jack and Betty Jean Henley. He received undergraduate and graduate degrees in Geology from the University of Tennessee. He served in the United States Marine Corps and the United States Army. At the time of his death, he was retired after a lengthy career with the Topographic Engineering Center of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He thrived on the extensive research and field work, which ranged from the jungles of Panama to the mountains of Bolivia to the American desert and wetlands. In retirement, Mr. Henley became a certified Master Gardener (Green Spring Master Gardener unit) , and was an active volunteer with Ready, Set, Grow! in Fairfax County, a program to teach basic botany to 4th graders. In addition, Ponder worked with school groups at Green Spring Gardens, with garden walks designed to introduce Virginia native plants, trees, and historical crops. He was also active with the Potomac Viewing Stone Group that collected and displayed unusual stones shaped by natural forces.An avid collector (and occasional bookseller) of books, maps, rocks, and American and English art pottery, Mr. Henley relished travelling, with recent trips to China, Cambodia, Tibet, Turkey, England, and Ireland. Naturally inquisitive, a colleague said,there was no subject that escaped his wit and knowledge. A man of great personal warmth and charm, Mr. Henley is survived by his wife of 32 years, Patricia Henley, of Alexandria; a daughter, Stacy Nolen, and two granddaughters, Blake and Kendal Nolen and a nephew, Kyle Hall, all of Hendersonville, Tennessee. He also leaves a sister, Rosa Wingo and niece Erin Wingo of Goodlettsville, Tennessee and a brother, John Robert Henley, of Nashville, Tennessee. Celebration of Ponder Henley's life will be held at Green Spring Gardens Horticulture Center on Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be directed to Green Spring Gardens 4603 Spring Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22312;the Bonsai Foundation, Treasurer, 3501 New York Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002
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