Mary Faith (Chastain) Henderson
- Katy Abraham
- Nov 3
- 3 min read
December 8, 1932 - July 22, 2025
Please join us for Funeral Rites and a Celebration of Life-Wake for Mary Faith (Chastain) Henderson
who accepted God’s invitation to come home on July 22, 2025, in Galveston, TX. Married to Henry
LeRoy (Roy) Henderson (deceased) for 61 years, Mary Faith is survived by five of their six children:
Rachael Henderson (Bassam) Hammoudeh, Galveston, TX; Marti Faith Henderson, Nashville, TN;
Henry LeRoy (Hank) (Laurie) Henderson, Jr., Trenton, IL; Mary Lorraine Henderson (Luis) Garcia,
Coral Springs, FL; Julie Henderson (Brian) Natale, Hilton Head, SC. She was preceded in death by
her daughter Stephanie Henderson (Kirk) Augspurger and granddaughter Jayla Rhea Brigstock. Mary
Faith relished her role as a grandmother; she was affectionately known as Mama Faith by her 19
grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren (with another one on the way!) as well as 11 nieces and
nephews and 21 great-nieces and nephews. Born in 1932 in Plattsburg, MO to the late Charles
William and Faith (Payne) Chastain, Jr, Mary Faith had one brother Charles William Chastain III
(deceased), Appleton, WI. Mary Faith graduated from Tennessee Polytechnic Institute [now
Tennessee Technological University (TTU)] in 1953 as salutatorian of her class with a degree in
Music Education. For much of the rest of her life, Mary Faith taught music and piano at local schools
and in her home, introducing so many of us to the joy of music. Mary Faith and Roy were also strong
advocates for TTU, establishing an academic scholarship there in 2003 in celebration of their 50th
wedding anniversary. Residing with Roy in Winchester, TN for more than 50 years, Mary Faith was
an active member of the Good Shepherd Catholic Church; during this time, she served as the choir
director for many years and on various liturgical committees as well as volunteering at Good
Shepherd School. Given her dedication to education, Mary Faith was invited to join P.E.O., a faith
based philanthropic sisterhood focused on furthering the education of women. During her 50 years as
a member, she served in a variety of capacities, including Guard, Vice-President, and then Chapter Z
President in 1977-79 and, again, 1998-1999. She also served in all the officer capacities at the state
level with induction as the Tennessee State Chapter President in 1986-1987, for which service she
was bestowed a Life Membership. Mary Faith remained active in P.E.O. by joining the local chapters
wherever she lived. One of Mary Faith’s favorite activities was playing Bridge. She was an active
member of several bridge clubs and became quite proficient in competitive duplicate bridge,
becoming a Duplicate Masters player. In 2013, Mary Faith and Roy relocated to Florida to be with
their daughter Mary Lorraine and her family; in 2022, she moved to TX to be with her daughter
Rachael and her family. In honor of her requests, services will be held on Saturday, November 22,
2025, at Good Shepherd Catholic Church (2021 Decherd Blvd, Decherd, TN). Visitation will begin at
9:30am followed by a Requiem Mass at 10:30am. Immediately following will be the interment at
Franklin Memorial Gardens. Everyone is then invited to return to the Good Shepherd Parish Hall for a
Celebration of Life-Wake and lunch. Arrangements are being handled by the Good Shepherd Church
Bereavement and Music Ministries, as well as Moore-Cortner Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers,
memorial donations may be made to EITHER 1) The H. LeRoy and Mary Faith Henderson Honorary
Scholarship Endowments, TN Tech University Foundation, PO Box 1915, Cookeville, TN 38505 or
online at tntech.edu/giving; please note the name of the scholarship on the memo line or comments
section while online; OR 2) the P.E.O. Foundation ELF Project, c/o Jo Todd, President Chapter Z,
3305 Riley Creek Road, Normandy, TN 37360.
Moore-Cortner Funeral Home, 300 First Ave NW, Winchester, TN 37398, (931)-967-2222, www.moorecortner.com.
