Debra Henderson

Hastings resident Debra Marie Henderson, 63, passed away Sunday, July 4, 2021, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, NE.

Services will be 10 a.m. Friday, July 9, at Butler Volland Chapel in Hastings with Chaplain John Mueller officiating. Burial with military rites by Hastings Military Honor Guard will be at Parkview Cemetery in Hastings. Visitation will be 4-7 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Memorials may be given to the family for a memorial to be established at a later date.

Debra was born June 20, 1958, in Grand Island, NE to Edward Charles & Charlotte Ann (Woods) Berst. She graduated from Grand Island Senior High School in 1976. Debra married Gerald Henderson on February 28, 1978, in Fort Leonard Wood, MO. She served in the U.S. Army from June 25, 1976 until January 31, 1980.

Debra was a homemaker and a member of First Baptist Church in Leavenworth, KS. She loved animals and volunteered many hours at the Leavenworth Animal Welfare Society in Leavenworth, and had fostered several dogs and cats. Debra enjoyed gardening, crafts, and traveling to see family.

Debra traveled throughout the world with her husband for 27 years while in the U.S. Army, including Russia, Tunisia, Germany, Korea, and several states. She was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. Debra treasured her children and grandchildren. She loved her animals, especially her Tessa and Maggie. After Gerald retired in 2015 from the Army, Debra and Gerald moved to Hastings to be close to their family.

Debra was preceded in death by her father and mother & father-in-law.

SURVIVORS:
Husband:
Gerald Henderson – Hastings, NE
Mother:
Charlotte Berst – Grand Island, NE
Children & Spouse:
Gerald Henderson Jr. – Williamsburg, VA
Melissa Nelson – Thornton, CO
Jessica & Clint Bucknell – Hastings, NE
Step-Daughter & Spouse:
Cleshia & Jeremy Johnson – Winslow, AZ
Brother-in-law & Spouse:
Stephen & Susan Henderson – North Little Rock, AR
Grandchildren:
Kathryn Henderson
Gerald Henderson III
Aiden Nelson
Cole Nelson
Avery Nelson
Hannah Bucknell
Brianna Bucknell
Evelyn Bucknell
Sisters & Spouses:
Betty & Ray Wilson - Bassett, NE
Janice & David Sperling – Grand Island, NE
Brother:
Robert Berst – Grand Island, NE
Numerous Aunts, Uncles, Nieces, Nephews, Cousins & Friends