Frederick W. Hensley

Published 12:00 am Sunday, July 3, 2011

Frederick Wayne Hensley, 61, of Bowling Green, died at 10:05 a.m. July 2, 2011, at Greenview Regional Hospital.

The Kenova, W.Va., native was born Aug. 28, 1949. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, friend and respected community leader. He was a graduate of Ceredo-Kenova High School, Morehead State University and an honorary graduate of Western Kentucky University. At Morehead State, he served as the voice of the Bald Eagle Network as play-by-play announcer for athletics and as media service director. He was public relations director at Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss., before coming to WKU as an administrator in 1980. He retired from WKU as the chief public affairs officer in 2001 to become the senior vice president for advancement and marketing and president of the foundation at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Mich. He continued his career as president of Health Careers Foundation in St. Louis until 2005. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Bowling Green, where he served as deacon, Sunday school teacher and youth group volunteer. He also helped with the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter. He was an organizing member of the Girls’ KHSAA Sweet Sixteen Tournament host committee, instrumental in bringing the tournament to Bowling Green for the first time in 1985. Other civic involvement included past chair of the Picnic Pops and board member of the Bowling Green-Warren County Tourism-Convention Commission, the Tourism and Economic Development Council and the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce. He was a charter member, 29-year participant and 1985 champion of the Red Towel League. He was a son of the late Hobart Wayne Hensley and Opal T. Hensley. He was preceded in death by a brother, Bob R. Hensley.

Memorial service is at 11 a.m. Thursday at First Baptist Church. Visitation is from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday and begins at 9 a.m. Thursday at the church. J.C. Kirby & Son Funeral Home, Lovers Lane chapel, is in charge of arrangements.

Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to the Raise the Roof Campaign in an effort to restore the structural integrity of the Charles M. Oshel Music Building, where Fred was a member of the Ceredo-Kenova Wonders Big Green and White marching band. Contributions can be mailed to the Foundation for the Tri-State Community Inc., P.O. Box 7932, Huntington, WV 25779-7932. Other expressions of sympathy may be sent to the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, The James Development Office, 660 Ackerman Road, P.O. Box 183112, Columbus, OH 43218-3112 or First Baptist Church, 621 E. 12th Ave., Bowling Green, KY 42101.

Survivors include his loving wife, Mary Jane; a son, Drew Hensley and his wife, Ginny, of Bowling Green; a daughter, Anne-Walker Brown and her husband, Darren, of Las Vegas; a niece, Karen Pawlak and her husband, Bob, of Mason, Ohio; a nephew, Steve Hensley and his wife, Rochelle, of Fort Thomas; a sister-in-law, Joanne Hensley of Mason, Ohio; two grandchildren, Reed and Hope Hensley of Bowling Green; a mother-in-law, Ruth Ann Reed of Russell; and several great-nieces and great-nephews.