ANNIE BELL HENDERSON, 102; 'COULD TALK TO PAUPERS, KINGS'

ANNIE BELL Henderson was the kind of neighbor everybody should have.

When she lived on 26th Street near Cecil B. Moore Avenue, in North Philadelphia, she took care of neighbors who needed her help.

"If she heard about someone who was ill, she would cook a meal for them and make sure they had something to eat," said her daughter, Betty Henderson. "She would do the shopping for people who couldn't get to the store."

She was also a chauffeur for fellow members of Zoar United Methodist Church, making sure that they got to services and back home.

Annie Henderson died April 14 at the age of 102. She lived in North Philadelphia.

She was born to Levi Salley and Hannah Daniels, and raised on a farm in Smoaks, S.C., that raised livestock and grew timber. She and her five sisters never forgot where they came from and made yearly, sometimes twice-a-year, trips back home.

Annie and two of her now-deceased sisters, Hattie Coles and Eva Wiggins, had a house built there in the '60s so that the family would have a place to stay during their visits.

Annie married Jeff Henderson in South Carolina and they moved to Philadelphia in 1933. She worked at a clothing-manufacturing company in the city as a power-machine operator and was a member of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. She retired in 1967.

Her husband, a coal-truck driver, died in 1968.

Annie loved to travel. When her daughter was a member of the Peace Corps in Ghana, she got to visit her there and was so delighted with the experience that she wanted to go back.

She also visited most of the states and traveled as far away as Hawaii.

Annie was an active member of Zoar United Methodist Church, which she joined in 1933. She was an usher and sponsored the Junior Girls Ushers. She served as chaplain of the Philadelphia chapter of the National Association of Ushers. She sang on the Gospel Choir, served as Women's Day chairperson and was active with the senior citizens group.

"She was a sweetheart," her daughter said. "She was the kind of person who could talk to paupers and kings. People always mention her wonderful smile."

Annie Henderson, who grew up in the segregated South where she was not allowed to vote, made sure that she voted when she came north. She was excited by the candidacy of Barack Obama and wanted to be sure to vote for him. However, she wasn't able to get to the polls.

"I took her absentee ballot to City Hall and had to wait in line forever, but she got to vote for him," her daughter said. "Voting was important to her, since it took a long time for African-Americans to be allowed to vote."

Besides her daughter, she is survived by two grandchildren. She was predeceased by three sons, Leroy, Barney and Herbert.

Services: 11 a.m. Friday at Zoar United Methodist Church, 1204 Melon St. Friends may call at 9 a.m. Burial will be in Rolling Green Memorial Park, West Chester.