Marina H. Hendy

A beautiful shining light was extinguished after a short but courageous battle with lung cancer on November 29, 2015. Marina Hendy was with her daughters and companion in her final moments. Marina H. Hendy was born in Limerick, Ireland in 1934 to Frederick Hendy and Matilda Baynham Hendy. She left Limerick after finishing school and moved to London where she became a nurse. Her favorite place to work was in the psychiatric ward where she gave her patients the eternal caregiving for which she was known throughout her life. She moved to Albuquerque in 1962 and this became her home. As she learned from her nursing years, her true calling was the service industry. Marina loved working in the restaurant business and worked at the Scotch & Sirloin, the Beef & Bourbon and the Four Seasons Hotel until 1984 when she opened and operated Marina's Unique Dry Cleaners near Old Town. She loved her customers and with her quiet demeanor and gentle ways, became a true confidant for many people. Another gift Marina inherited from the Hendy family was her love and expertise in gardening. No matter where she lived, she had beautiful plants and gardens full of flowers and trees that many others could not seem to coax into life. She loved the challenge of desert gardening, but never lost her love for roses, which she inherited from her father, a master gardener and horticulturist in Ireland. One of Marina's fondest memories was traveling with her father to Dublin and other locations in Ireland to attend rose competitions and garden festivals. Her childhood vacations were spent at various beaches in Ireland and she always had a yearning to be near the ocean, but she came to love the mountains and desert as well. Photography was another passion and she loved to photograph nature while traveling, another great passion. Marina was proceeded in death by her parents; her brother, Frederick (Canada); her sister, Tillie (Ireland); and her niece, Frances (Ireland). She is survived by her daughters, Dawn Smith Jennings (Paul), Georgetown, TX and Nerita Ardis Smith, Scottsdale, AZ; her partner, Jerry Valdez; her grandsons, Brian Curtis Jennings and Sean Hendy Jennings; her sister, May Foley (Cranbourne, Australia); nieces, Desma Foley Fujii (Australia), Claire Hendy (Canada) and Lilly Bagnall (Ireland); and nephew, Frederick Hendy (Canada). Marina had many friends, customers and associates who will miss her beautiful smile and infectious laugh. We would give heartfelt thanks to her employees at Marina's Unique who have kept the business running throughout her illness. We could not have done it without you! Also, the Oncology, Cardiac and Pulmonary doctors and staff at Presbyterian Hospital / Kaseman Center for their excellent care. Especially the amazing nurses who assisted her during her treatments and while in the hospital, you are amazing people with a true gift for touching a person's soul. A celebration of Marina's life will be held at a later date. Marina's grandson, Sean, is employed at Brookwood in Georgetown (BiG), a vocational program for adults with special needs in Georgetown, TX. We know she would be delighted if you would like to remember her by donating in her honor to BiG at P.O. Box 845, Georgetown, TX 78627. http://www.brookwoodingeorgetown.org.