Baltimore native Dr. Marcia Henson-Coakley, public school teacher and dentist, dies

Dr. Marcia Henson-Coakley, a retired Woodlawn dentist who formerly taught in Baltimore City Schools, died of a stroke May 7 at Sinai Hospital. She was 72 and lived in Park Heights.

Born in Baltimore and raised on Baker Street in West Baltimore, she was the daughter of Solomon Henson Jr., a Bethlehem Steel worker, and Mary Shields, a receptionist and secretary.

As a child she joined the school band and choir. She began at Western High School and was a 1968 graduate of Edmondson High School. Her love of music continued at Howard University, where she majored in fine arts with an emphasis on piano.

She transferred to the then Morgan State College in 1971 and majored in early childhood education. After graduation, she taught third grade in Baltimore City, spending three years at Gardenville Elementary School in Northeast Baltimore.

[ Frank B. Coakley, pioneering banker and city official, dies ]

In 1972 she met her first husband, the now retired state delegate and television anchor Curt Anderson. They had two children: Ambre Michele Anderson and Curtis Ian Anderson.

“My mother was my North Star, my biggest cheerleader, my calm after a storm and my best friend,” said her daughter, Ambre Michele Anderson. “She had a beautiful spirit.”

In the 1980s she decided on a career change and entered the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. She graduated in 1987.

“She wanted to provide for us, her children,” said Curtis Anderson.

Dr. Henson-Coakley later opened her own practice on Woodlawn Drive. She retired in 2022.

“She had a gentle touch and always put her patients at ease,” said her son. “A patient felt like a family member when speaking to my mother. A family member who happened to be a dentist.”

In 1998 she married Frank B. Coakley, a banker. He died in 2021.

The couple traveled together frequently and were lifetime supporters of Morgan State University.

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William G. ”Hotzie” Hotz Sr. was a Baltimore Sun photographer and Navy veteran.

Dr. Henson-Coakley was a member of the graduate chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She completed the 2004 Baltimore Marathon and the 2007 Maui Marathon in Hawaii. She was an avid tennis player with a 3.0 ranking from the Women’s Tennis Association.

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“She lived life to the fullest in every category, she was inspirational,” said her daughter, Ambre. “No matter what happened, she saw the best in it. If the car got stolen, she saw it as an opportunity to get a new car.”

Dr. Henson-Coakley often visited her daughter, Ambre, an actress based in New York. They traveled together on the press tour for, “Never Would’ve Made It,” a biography of gospel singer-song writer Marvin Sapp. Her daughter appears in Starz’ “Power Book II Ghost” and Netflix’s “Survival of the Thickest.”

“My mother stayed with me at hotels on an off day filming,” Ambre said.

Dr. Henson-Coakley loved to play the piano and sing at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, which led to a separate singing career. She was a soprano and sang both gospel and opera. She was called upon at birthdays, funerals and at Baltimore religious congregations.

Dr. Henson-Coakley was a donor to the Helping up Mission of Baltimore and made trips to developing countries to donate her dental services. She also worked with Dental Mission Chitre Panama, a medical charity.

A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. May 23 at Saint Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church, 3121 Walbrook Ave.

Survivors include her daughter, Ambre Michele Anderson of Brooklyn, New York; a son, Curtis Ian Anderson of Leesburg, Virginia; her father, Solomon Henson Jr. of Baltimore; a brother, Solomon Henson III, of Baltimore; and four grandchildren.