Jennifer Ruth Lloyd Henderson was born on September 23, 1952 the eldest child and only daughter of Frederic and Jean Lloyd of Moncton, New Brunswick.

Ruth displayed her skill and determination as a musician, caregiver and event organiser from a young age. She had a ready cadre of performers in her three brothers Stephen, Paul and Mark whom she utilised at every available opportunity for Christmas plays and music concerts. She was a great help to her mother in keeping her three brothers occupied and helping with household chores. Indeed, some might say that this early experience was what caused her later in her life to have four children of her own. She taught her youngest brother Mark how to skate on a rink near the family home. She even drew up a chart on which to record the conduct, behaviour, and progress of chores completed by her three younger brothers.

All her endeavours were undertaken with diligence and hard work, in school, music lessons, church activities, and the community. She was a frequent winner of her piano classes in the Moncton Music Festival. Ruth was well known in the neighborhood for many thoughtful acts of kindness including voluntarily shoveling snow from the neighbors' walkways and carrying in their trash cans on garbage collection day.

From these precocious beginnings she went on to pursue her dream of becoming an organist. She moved from her home in New Brunswick to Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. While there she completed her Bachelor of Music in 1973 and her Bachelor of Music Education in 1974. During her time as a Choir director she met William Ernest Henderson, a Bermudian studying French and Philosophy and later Commerce. They married at Highfield Baptist Church in Moncton, New Brunswick on May 19, 1975, and they later moved together from Halifax to Montreal, Quebec where Ruth continued her studies as an organist eventually completing her Licentiate Diploma in Organ Performance.

From her first trips to Bermuda she resolved to relocate here as she saw in this lovely Island the perfect place to settle, raise a family and devote her life to making a musical contribution to the world around her. She moved here with William in 1976 and she worked in the Bank of Bermuda's investment department for a year and a half before she started working as a Music teacher at the Bermuda High School. 1978 was a busy year as she had her first child Stephanie in January and became the organist at the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in March of the same year. Although Ruth continued to work for some time after Stephanie was born, she soon realised that she was missing many of Stephanie's momentous "firsts" and resolved to devote her time to being a stay at home mother for her children's formative years. Graeme was born in May, 1979 and Mark in December, 1980. Although Gillian did not arrive until October, 1983, Ruth had by this time perfected the art of recovery from childbirth such that after giving birth to Gillian on Saturday morning, she stepped out of hospital on Sunday morning to play at the Cathedral. When she returned to the hospital to feed her newborn the nurses were all appropriately shocked.

Ruth took her role as mother to her four children very seriously. She led through example and projected a sense of responsibility. She ensured that no matter what her children signed up to do, they followed through, even if it meant that she was driving from one end of the island to the other to take them where they needed to go. There was never a complaint but only an unerring sense of duty to her young charges. If any of her children made a good impression you can be sure that it was instilled in them by the sterling example of their mother.

As her children grew and she found more time to devote to other activities she continued to be involved in the wider community. She resumed teaching, first at Bermuda High School, then later at Saltus Grammar School. As a volunteer she was involved with the Bermuda Junior Service League. She also worked as an Instructor at the Reading Clinic. She was committed to activities that contributed positively to the community around her. In this spirit she took an early responsibility for orchestrating Project Ride at Saltus.

Her contribution to Church music was immense. She played a pivotal role in the formation of the Cathedral Boy's Choir. She was also a key figure in the Bermuda Choral Workshop which joined Choirs together from all over the island. Her dedication as an Organ teacher meant that she nurtured the talent of her organ students and pushed them to realise their full potential: so much so that two of her former students were able to substitute for her at Church during her recent illness. At the time of her death she was the Programme Director of the American Guild of Organists – Bermuda Chapter and had already organized an organ recital for early next year and laid the ground work for a further recital in 2009. In addition, with a number of other organ enthusiasts she helped to restore an Old Bermuda organ which now sits between the baptismal font and the North Door in the Bermuda Cathedral.

Her devotion to music was also evident at Saltus. In the days when Saltus still sang hymns at School Assembly she was very concerned that the students should know the hymns well enough to actually open their mouths and sing – even if it wasn't "cool" to be singing hymns at school assembly. Her favourite line once she could hear the students singing was: "Now we're cooking with gas!"

Her powers of persuasion meant that many an unsuspecting student found themselves singing in one of Mrs. Henderson's choirs at "Carols for All" or at a springtime "Wind Band Concert".

Although she suffered with Lupus for more than five years she didn't allow her illness to stop her. She continued fighting to live a life that reflected her own desires and dreams. She was proud and hardworking to the end. Ruth always thought of others before herself and devoted her days to that end. She will be sorely missed but remembered with love.