Thomas D. Henderer

Thomas Donaldson Henderer was born in 1938, in Wilmington, Delaware to M. Donaldson and Verna Rayner Henderer, and died June 4, 2025, in Wilmington, Delaware. He was an Eagle Scout, the 1956 Valedictorian of P.S. duPont High School, and a 1960 graduate of Swarthmore College, where he was one of the first of the McCabe Scholars from the Delmarva Peninsula. While there he was an active member of Delta Upsilon Fraternity, and a cheerleader during football season.

After a short term as a manufacturing intern with General Electric Company, he joined the Naval Air Force Reserves, and was stationed primarily at the Naval Air Station, Willow Grove, PA. In the fall of 1963, he entered the University of Delaware where he met Mary. They graduated together in 1965, and married in June of 1967.

Meanwhile, Tom had entered the University of Pennsylvania’s Law School where he was an editor on the Law Review. Following graduation in 1968, he began his legal career with Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell before joining Wilmington Trust Company where he served as Vice-President and Trust Counsel for thirty-one years. He was admitted to the Delaware Bar in 1969, and served on a number of its committees over the course of his career. He was a longtime member of The Cathedral Church of Saint John and the Rotary Club of Wilmington. A proud Delawarean, he had an abiding interest in the history of the State of Delaware. He had a lifelong interest in trains and model railroading, as well as the Eagles and the Phillies.

He is survived by Mary, their two sons, Jeffrey D. (Sanna) of Haverford, PA, and Peter L. (Armistead) of Richmond, VA, and their four grandchildren, Christman, Parker, Anne, and William. He is also survived by his brother, James M. (Lorna) of South Deerfield, MA, brother-in-law Robert W. Lawshe (Linda) of Arlington, VA, and four nephews.

The family would like to thank the staff, caregivers, and nurses of Rockland Place and VITAS Healthcare for their dedicated and loving care over the past sixteen months. Services will be private.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Wilmington Friends School, 101 School Road, Wilmington, DE 19803.