Our beloved family patriarch, Archie L. Henson, Ret. Col. USAF, passed away at the age of 90 in San Antonio, Texas on June 1, 2015. A native San Antonian, he was born in 1924 to Lawrence and Helen Schibli Otto. Following his mother's death, he was adopted in 1933 by Roy Henson and his aunt, Olga Schibli Henson. Archie attended St. Mary's and St. Leo's Catholic Schools in San Antonio. In the fifth grade at St. Leo's he met his future wife, Evelyn Clara Jung. He served as an altar boy in his parish of San Jose Mission. A determined young man, in 1938 he convinced his parents to send him to St. Joseph Academy and College, a Franciscan preparatory seminary for priests in Westmont, Illinois, where he completed high school and one year of college. Falling ill and mis-diagnosed with tuberculosis, he returned to San Antonio where he soon recovered and joined the U.S. Army Air Force in 1943. He served in the 5th Air Force, 22nd Bomb Group, 2nd B Squadron as a T/Sgt. Aerial Engineer Gunner, flying 44 missions in a B-24 Liberator in the World War II Pacific Theater of Operations. When the war ended in 1945, Archie returned as a civilian to San Antonio and joined the military active reserve unit. He married Evelyn Clara Jung in 1946 and started a family in 1947 that would grow in size by 1965 to include 14 children; 7 boys and 7 girls. He attended The University of Texas at Austin and St. Mary's University in San Antonio, and graduated in 1949 with a Law Degree from St. Mary's University Law School. Admitted to the Texas State Bar in 1949, he worked as an attorney for Gordon's Jewelers in Houston, Texas from 1950 to 1951. Archie was recalled to active duty in The U.S. Air Force in May 1951 as a 1st Lieutenant Officer. His 22 year military law career in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) office included tours of duty in Germany, Panama, Greenland, Vietnam, California and Texas, U.S.A. During his service in Greenland and Vietnam, his wife Evelyn maintained the household in San Antonio, Texas. In 1968, he received a Masters of Arts degree in History from St. Mary's University. During his military career he attended Service schools at War College, Maxwell AFB, Al., University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA., and Lackland AFB, TX. He retired in August, 1973 as a full Colonel in the U.S. Air Force. His military awards included; The Legion of Merit, The Air Medal, The Philippine Liberation Medal, and The Vietnam Service Medal. Archie turned to private law in 1973 then accepted a position as County Court Administrator at The Bexar County Courthouse in 1974. After retiring from the county in 1986, he continued as a volunteer attorney with The Bexar County Legal Aid Association. Archie was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Court of Military Appeals and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. He was also a member of the Federal and American Bar Associations, the San Antonio Bar Association and the Military Section of the Texas Bar Association. Archie never passed up an opportunity to help others, a common thread throughout the fabric of his life's story. In 1973 he and 2 fellow officers arranged for his former Vietnamese secretary to be flown to the U.S. to receive open-heart surgery, free of charge, at Santa Rosa Hospital in San Antonio. She returned to Vietnam following a successful recovery. In 1979 he sponsored 2 Chinese refugees from Vietnam, Khai Phat San and his sister Chan Sau San, who both lived with the Henson's for many years and are considered as family to this day. He also served as an Assistant Scoutmaster and Institutional Representative for the Boy Scouts of America from 1965 to 1985. In response to a calling from his long-held Catholic faith, Archie was ordained a permanent deacon of the Archdiocese of San Antonio in 1976 at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church. He was active in his parish duties and prison ministry at Bexar County Jail. In 1994 Archie and his wife Evelyn moved to Air Force Village II, a retirement community in San Antonio, TX. There he served as a Deacon in the parish of St. Louis Catholic Church and in prison ministry at the Dominguez State Prison in San Antonio. Other church-related activities included: member, Knights of Columbus, third degree; Columbus Club since 1957; served on parish councils and Air Base Catholic Chaplain Fund Councils; member and past president of San Antonio Catholic Lawyers Guild; member and past president of Serra International of San Antonio; and member, diaconate of the Archdiocese of San Antonio. Archie was preceded in death by his parents, Roy and Olga Henson, his wife of 63 years, Evelyn Jung Henson, and 3 children, Michelle Henson, Mary Patricia Smith and John Henson. He is survived by 11 children, their spouses and extended family; Lawrence and Hilde Henson, Theresa Lynette and Edmundo Marquina, Sherry and Theodore Mueller, James Henson, Gary Henson, Rita and Joseph Wilkinson, Kathleen and Brian Sullivan, Paul and Monica Henson, Mark and Patricia Henson, Julie and Jerry Cockrill, Joseph and Frances Henson, sister-in-law, Vernell Dawson, cousin, Robert Schill, 27 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren and numerous nephews and nieces. Archie was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather who spent his life in the service of others. He will be missed dearly by all those whose life he touched. We wish to express our appreciation to the Air Force Village II (Blue Skies of Texas) community and staff. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Air Force Village II Catholic Charity or the charity of your choice. FUNERAL SERVICES Visitation will begin Monday at 5:00 P.M. in The Angelus Chapel with a Rosary to be recited at 7:00 P.M. Funeral Mass will be offered Tuesday at 9:00 A.M. at St. Louis Catholic Church in Castroville, TX. Interment will be held Tuesday at 1:00 P.M. at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery with military honors.