Bob Henderson, a longtime Louisville City Council member known to many as “Mr. Valley Station,” has died. He was 86 years old.
According to his obituary, he died in his home on Saturday.
Henderson represented the southwestern part of Jefferson County on the Metro Council as one of the original council members after the city-county merger. He represented District 14 as a Democrat until 2012.
During his term, Henderson worked to clean up Dixie Highway, demolish abandoned buildings, and improve the county’s sewer and drainage systems. According to a 2008 Courier Journal article, he strongly supported former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson. Henderson consistently fought numerous challengers in the race for the City Council seat.
“I think they threw out the mold when Bob Henderson was born,” Councilwoman Cindi Fowler said at Thursday’s City Council meeting. “I know many of you know what I’m talking about. He was a force to be reckoned with, but he was a gentle soul and he truly cared about his community and fought hard for what was right.”
Fowler was Henderson’s parliamentary assistant and won his seat after Henderson retired.
“I babysat his kids when I was a teenager and his daughter carried the train at my wedding,” Fowler said.
The council observed a minute’s silence on Thursday evening in memory of the former member.
“The family of our city councilor mourns his death and recognizes his decades of service to Louisville,” said Council President Markus Winkler, calling him a “well-known and highly respected personality in southwest Louisville.”
Henderson was a veteran of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, owner of Henderson Contracting, and supervisor with the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and CSX Transportation. He was a son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.
Reach reporter Eleanor McCrary at [email protected] or at @ellie_mccrary on X, formerly known as Twitter
This article originally appeared in the Louisville Courier Journal: Former Louisville City Councilman Bob Henderson dies
