Walter Harold Henson had a meeting to go to and he wasn't late. Waldo, or Water Barrel, as he was known to his family, met with God on January 28, 2015, decided he liked what he saw and he stayed. In order for him to stay, there must have been some dogs to pet, plenty of garden space, a pouting shed, and a comfy chair to sit in. In his new Home he can watch all of the Matlock and NCIS he wants and there won't be anyone that dares grumble at him.
Walt started life on September 8, 1942, in Dunbar, West Virginia. He is the oldest son of Harold and Eloise Henson. His parents, sister, Loretta Jones, and granddaughter, Lucy Smith were part of the Welcoming Committee.
After graduating from Dunbar High School in 1960, he gave college a try at West Virginia Tech. They asked him not to come back. So it was off to the US Air Force where he was stationed in Spokane, Washington. That is where he met and married Carolyn Dahlberg, the mother of his three girls, known by him as Thelma, Fester, and Toad, but to others as Gwen (Smith), Leslie (Ventura) and Karen (Henson-Bibbee). Although they may not have said it often, his girls loved him very much. He was told prior to his meeting that he did a great job raising his girls. He often said he must have done something right since they never caused him a sleepless night.
After the Air Force and upon returning to Dunbar, Walt spent 40 years working for NCR. It was 20 years ago through that job that he met and married Linda Workman, who was by his side as he went to his meeting. She brought along her own children, Erica and Jeremy, who Waldo proceeded to dub Erkle and Germ. He initiated them into the family with his signature air horn and "firecrackers-in-a-trash-can" wake-up calls. Linda complimented his sense of humor, shared many of his non-Matlock related interests, and encouraged him to fight on for another day. The daughters are thankful for her.
Waldo's silly side, which was every side of him, rubbed off on his precious daughters and even some of his friends. He could often be seen dressed in his tuxedo t-shirt, conductors hat, and multicolored Converse high tops, riding on his Allis-Chalmers tractor, at his home in Goldtown. Some days you could find him in the pouting shed creating something out of wood. Other days you could find him pickin' on his guitar and banjo. He liked roses and growing a garden.
Grandpa Waldo left a bunch of important people behind to carry on the "Henson Humor" including his grandchildren, in order of appearance: Morgan Henson, Garrett Smith, Mickey Smith, Abigail Ventura, Tristan Bibbee, Nathan Ventura, and Lucas Smith, his sister, Ann Webb, and brother, Kevin Henson. Another dude that had a special space in Waldo's heart is honorary grandson, Michael Saunders.
As he went to his meeting, one daughter heard a buzzard sing as it carried him on The Journey. The world will continue to go on without him but it won't be as fun. And as another daughter said, "Damn, I'm going to miss him."
The fine folks at Keller's Funeral Home in Dunbar are helping the family with funeral arrangements. Visitation with Linda and the kids will be Saturday, January 31, 2015, from noon to 2 p.m. Services will begin at 2 p.m. immediately following visitation. Burial with military honors will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, February 2, 2015 at Grandview Memorial Park, Dunbar, WV.
The family would like to thank the Doctors and Nurses at CAMC Memorial Hospital 5 East MICU for their help in making the trip to the meeting a little more comfortable.

The daughters would like to thank their "meathead" husbands, Tim Smith, Andy Ventura and Jason Bibbee, for their compassion, bravery, unwavering support and big shoulders. Thank you for loving our daddy and helping him rest easy knowing that you would be here to take care of his babies.

This isn't the end of the story as his memory will carry on and the family will surely have lots of funny stories to tell. That is just what he would have wanted. Rest easy now Pop. We will see you in due time. We love you.