Rozella Sue (Izard) Henderson

Rozella Sue Henderson gently fell asleep Friday morning, January 18, 2019. Her long battle with a relentless and unstoppable illness finally came to an end.

Rozella Sue was born to William Argile & Ollie May (Smith) Izard on July 27, 1932 in Lubbock, Texas. Sue’s only sibling Roleta Billie was also born in Lubbock on January 9,1917.

The Izard family re-located to Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1935. William established an automotive and farm implement tire and repair business.

Sue matriculated through the Santa Fe school system graduating from high school in 1950. She attended the University of New Mexico and was a member of the Chi Omega sorority. She married Donald Ray Sheets in 1952, that twenty-five year union produced two sons; David Ray and Michael William.

In 1980 Sue was hired by Sandia National Laboratories as a secretary. Individual computer work stations providing word processing capability had not yet been embraced at Sandia Labs – Secretaries recorded the spoken word by shorthand script then produced the desired documents utilizing typewriters. Sandia’s employment qualifying/aptitude testing noted that Sue’s typing speed test scored 155 words per minute with no mistakes! Sue achieved upward mobility quickly and was promoted to MLS-5 status and in 1992 was appointed as Manager of Secretarial Services. She was responsible for the hiring, training, assigning and terminating of the Laboratories approximately 350 secretaries at that time.

Sue married Wallace Quinton Henderson, a retired United States Marine Corps Major on December 10th 1985. They established their residence in the East Mountains and also purchased a 40 acre future retirement home site near the small town of Saint Regis, Montana. Sue retired from Sandia National Laboratories on July 19, 2005 completing twenty-five years of service.

Sue was a lifelong member and supporter of The Junior League of Albuquerque and the Albuquerque All Faith’s Receiving Home. One of her favorite memories was of her 1978 two week trip to Israel with a group from Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Sue began her self-taught musical talents while in high school, playing the organ at 1st Baptist Church, Santa Fe. Later she was piano/organist for many different Albuquerque Churches: Heights Cumberland Presbyterian, Hope Christian, Forest Meadow Baptist Church and Saint George Greek Orthodox Christian Church (GOA) as well as others during her lifetime. Sue and Quint presently are members of All Saints of North America Orthodox Christian Church (OCA), both embracing [the] Eastern Orthodox Christian faith community(s) in 1989.

Sue was preceded in death by her parents, William and Ollie; her sister, Roleta Billie; and her second son, Michael.  She is survived by her husband, Wallace; her eldest son, David and his wife, Danine; two grandchildren, Staci Maxwell and Adam Sheets; and five great-grandchildren. Also surviving her are Wallace’s two daughters, Kimberli Ann Berget and her husband, Richard and their children, Christopher, Brittany and Matthew Berget, and Wallace’s younger daughter, Jennifer Lee Henderson.

Services will be held Friday, January 25, 2019, 9:00 a.m., at All Saints of North America Church, 10440 4th St. NW, Albuquerque (immediately south of El Pinto restaurant). Anyone desiring to pay respects and offer memories of Sue is invited to attend. Interment will take place at Santa Fe National Cemetery. It is requested donations be made to the Albuquerque All Faith’s Receiving Home in lieu of flowers. Sue’s husband requests you petition God to grant Sue’s immortal soul forgiveness and peace.

May her memory be eternal!