Dr. Frederick Wayland Henderson

It is with great sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of our beloved husband, father and grandfather, Dr. Frederick Wayland Henderson, on March 17, 2025 at age 79.

He passed in the company of his family and had many wonderful visits with friends and family before his passing, including a UNC-Duke watch party in his hospital room prior to transitioning to hospice care in the family home in Chapel Hill, NC.

Frederick was born in Monroe, NC on June 2, 1945, to Hilda McManus Henderson and Frederick Gustave Henderson, Jr.  He was raised in Greensboro, NC.  His favorite childhood memories included trips to Myrtle Beach and Lake Tillery with his family where he would fish, swim and water ski as well as trips to visit his grandparents and other extended family in Monroe.

He graduated from Grimsley High School in Greensboro in 1963 where he was named “sweetest boy” in his senior class. He then attended the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, completing his undergraduate studies in 3 years and earning acceptance to UNC Medical School.  He graduated from UNC Medical School in 1970.  He completed his internship and residency in Pediatrics at Yale University and the University of North Carolina from 1970-1973.  He worked as a Medical Officer in the Influenza Laboratory at the CDC in Atlanta from 1973-1975 and then returned to the University of North Carolina for a fellowship in Pediatric Infectious Disease from 1975-1977.  After completing his fellowship, he joined the faculty at UNC where he worked as a Professor of Pediatric Infectious Disease until retiring in 2011.  He was proud to be named the C. Richard Morris, MD Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics in 2005.  He was grateful to Dr. Albert Collier who directed the fellowship program and to all the generous and supportive Pediatric faculty that he worked with over the years.

He was a man of principles and a devoted husband, father, grandfather, teacher, and friend. He was highly intelligent, humble and compassionate, a natural caregiver with a cheerful disposition and a wonderful sense of humor.  He was proud to help train a generation of future doctors, teaching them to be seekers of knowledge and studious clinicians.

He and his family enjoyed regular weekend trips to the family beach house in Emerald Isle, NC built by his parents, Hilda and Gus. They enjoyed many adventures on the Atlantic Ocean on the ever-seaworthy and occasionally in need of tow, Ocean Commotion I and II. There were lots of trips to Cape Lookout for swimming and picnicking and many fishing trips on the high seas in pursuit of Spanish Mackerel, King Mackerel, Mahi Mahi, and Wahoo. The family also enjoyed water-skiing at Jordan Lake and summer trips to China Lake in Maine where his wife’s parents had a cottage.

He was a passionate Do-It-Yourselfer, diligently maintaining the family home, cars, and boats. No project was too big or too small, and he enjoyed working in the yard and gardening with his wife Pam.

The family enjoyed supporting UNC athletics and the UNC men’s basketball team, being season ticket holders for many years and attending games in Carmichael Auditorium and the Dean Dome. He also enjoyed working on his first car which he kept for many years, a 1966 Ford Mustang.

His guilty pleasures included Snickers bars, Filet-o-Fish sandwiches, an ice-cold Coca-Cola and watching the NASCAR race on Sundays. He was a loyal supporter of the Ford drivers and was always happy to see a Ford in the winner’s circle. His favorite drivers spanned from Bill Elliot in the 1980’s to Joey Logano today.

Frederick is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Pamela Farmer Henderson, his son, Frederick T. Henderson of Wilmington, NC and his daughter, Heather Henderson and her husband John Parker, also of Wilmington, NC.  He loved spending time with his three grandchildren, Ulee, Will and Molly Parker.  He is also survived by his sister, Barbara Grote and her family in Bellingham, Washington and his brother-in-law Thomas Farmer, Jr in Cary, NC.

In lieu of gifts or flowers, those wishing to honor Fred’s memory may make donations to the UNC Children’s Excellence Fund or the Class of 1970 Loyalty Fund Scholarship. Link included below:

https://www.unchf.org/fwhenderson