Edith Ann Howard Henry, a retired Baltimore schools teacher who had been a Fulbright Fellow, died of pulmonary disease Saturday at the Springwell Senior Living Community. The former Ashburton resident was 87.
Born Edith Ann Howard in Baltimore, she was the daughter of William Howard and Laura Wortham Howard. She lived her early life on Lorman Street in West Baltimore. After attending Booker T. Washington Junior High School, she was a 1945 graduate of Frederick Douglass High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from what is now Morgan State University and was crowned Miss Morgan.
In December 1949, she married Army Capt. Walter Thomas Davidson, a dentist, in Mexico. She then accompanied her husband to Austria, where he completed his military service.
She returned to Baltimore in 1951, where her husband established a dental practice. She joined the Baltimore City school system and taught at Harlem Park Junior High School.
"During her extensive teaching career, she had an impact on hundreds of students, many of whom achieved great success in their professions," said her son-in-law, Martin Welch, retired chief judge of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City.
Her husband died in 1965. She and her daughter left Baltimore and moved to Chicago so she could further her education. In 1967, she received a master's degree in education from Northeastern Illinois State College. She was also named a Fulbright Fellow. She went on to study at New York University, the University of Strasbourg and Saint Louis University at Merida, Yucatan, Mexico.
After she completed her education in Illinois, she returned to Baltimore to the family home on Hilton Road in Ashburton. She resumed her teaching career at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School and Western High School, teaching English, French and Spanish.
In 1968, she married Dr. Irving J. Henry, a dentist.
"Her students often recognized her and greeted her with 'Madame Henry,'" said her son-in-law.
The couple enjoyed an active lifestyle and spent summers on their cabin cruiser, "The Henry's II." They kept the cruiser at the Inner Harbor Marina, docked next to the Maryland Science Center. She spent long weekends on the boat and frequently hosted dinner parties on it.
Mrs. Henry was active in social groups. She belonged to the Coast Guard Auxiliary, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and the For-Winn-Ash Garden Club. She also played bridge and continued to sail. She was an active member of the League of Women's Voters.
Mrs. Henry was described as a consummate hostess who enjoyed gourmet food preparation and serving elegant dinners to her family and friends. She subscribed to Bon Appetit magazine and served dishes made from its recipes. She then had her guests score the dish on index cards. If a dish rated well, she served it again.
"She maintained a welcoming home which was designed for entertaining," said her son-in-law. "She felt the more, the merrier. Every event, whether a simple dinner for her daughter and her family, or Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for 40 or more guests, she was a gracious and gregarious hostess. She considered any and every gathering an affair."
She retired from teaching in 1983. She then became a full-time grandmother.
Mrs. Henry traveled extensively to Europe, Central America and Africa. She also traveled to Mexico, Cuba and throughout the United States, including Hawaii.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3200 Walbrook Ave., where she was a member for more than 50 years. She was a church elder and served on posts within the Presbytery of Baltimore.
Survivors include her daughter, Patricia Davidson Welch of Baltimore; a sister, Lucy Howard Sylvester of Washington, D.C.; and three grandchildren. Her marriage ended in divorce.