Bro. Hugh Henderson, C.PP.S., died Jan. 5 in Cincinnati, of natural causes. He was 66.

Bro. Henderson was born Aug. 10, 1948, in Cleveland, to Hugh and Dorothy (Triggs) Henderson. He entered the Missionaries of the Precious Blood in 1967 and was professed March 25, 1972.

Bro. Henderson served in education and parish ministries throughout his years as a religious brother. His early ministry sites included St. Edward Church, Holy Trinity Church, and Polyclinic Hospital, all in Cleveland; and St. Anthony Church, Detroit.

In 1995, he was assigned to St. Joseph’s College, where he served as assistant chaplain and admission recruiter. He also served as organist at churches in Remington, Ind. From 1999 until his death, he was in parish ministry in Cincinnati.

Bro. Henderson was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Timothy; and sister, Yvonne. He is survived by a sister-in-law, Patricia Henderson, and nieces, nephews and godsons.

Brother Hugh had a large personality, which came along with definite opinions, a quick smile and an orator’s voice. He jokingly called himself “the Archbrother,” and when roll was called at the community’s annual assembly, he answered with, “In living color.”

Beneath it all was a giving heart, which those around him were quick to detect. He had lived through many health issues in recent years, and he used them as a springboard from which he could understand the sufferings of others.

In his parish ministry, he spent hours visiting people in nursing homes and hospitals. People urged him to make a quicker exit, not to spend so much time in each room, but he never could.

“Sometimes, people in nursing homes feel lonely, rejected,” he once said. “I take the time to listen to them. A big part of my ministry is listening, even if I can’t solve their problems. I try not to walk in and walk out.”

A funeral Mass was celebrated Jan. 12 at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral in Cincinnati. Mass of Christian burial was celebrated at St. Charles on Jan. 15. Burial is in the Community cemetery.