Anne B. Mchenry
November 4, 1939 — March 1, 2018
Anne B. Mchenry
Longtime Sacramento resident, Anne B. McHenry, passed away at age 78 on Thursday, March 1, after a brief illness. She was married to the cardiologist, Malcolm McHenry, for 54 years and was a generous, loving, and vital presence to all those who knew her. She was born on November 4, 1939 in Gilman, Wisconsin and was a graduate of Gilman High School. At age 17, Anne went to Philadelphia to pursue a career in design at Moore College of Art & Design. Before she took up her studies, however, she was compelled to return to Wisconsin due to her mother's illness, and remained there to help raise her two younger siblings. In 1957, Anne drove west to California, shared a houseboat in Sausalito with two girlfriends, and worked for the law offices of McCucheon, Doyle, Troutman, and Enerson before marrying Malcolm McHenry in Carmel in 1965. Immediately thereafter, the young couple relocated to San Antonio, Texas, where Malcolm was stationed as captain in the USAF Medical Corp. The couple settled in Sacramento in 1965 where Malcolm began a medical practice from which he retired in 2014. Armed with a fierce intelligence, an endlessly inquisitive, if sometimes unconventional mind, an unusually firm grasp of business and finance, and an innate gift for diplomacy, she devoted much of her time to fundraising and philanthropy for a wide-range of arts and animal rescue organizations. She maintained a life-long association with the Crocker Art Museum, serving in a variety of capacities including President of the Museum Board of Trustees in the 1970s and 1980s, and where she quickly learned to command the attention and respect of her mostly male colleagues. She recalled listening to one Board member describing at length his dreams for the Museum's future. When the speaker showed no signs of yielding the floor, she brought him up short, declaring, "Show me your checkbook and I'll listen to your dreams." On another occasion, she was required to appear before City Council in order to obtain funds for the Museum. She made her appeal before the Council dressed in a black leather outfit, reasoning that "they were expecting an old lady in a hat and gloves. Instead, they got me." She was perhaps most proud of bringing the exhibition "The Art of the Mamluks" to Sacramento in 1983. The exhibition was one of the first successful blockbusters for the museum and marked a turning point towards a more globally-oriented exhibition policy. She and her husband traveled extensively, visiting every continent except Antarctica and South America, bringing back numerous works of art from their sojourns. Many of these were subsequently donated to the Crocker Art Museum. In one instance, Anne and Malcolm purchased two series of engravings by the British artist, William Hogarth, entitled "The Rake's Progress" and "The Harlot's Progress", and with characteristic wit donated them to the Museum in honor of each other. She and Malcolm had a particular fondness for the arts of Japan, and became knowledgeable and enthusiastic collectors of small Japanese sculpture and decorative arts. Anne loved attending the Opera, and friends recall telephoning the house and enjoying lively discussions while, in the background, "some Wagnerian soprano was blowing a hole in the roof." Another friend remembers visiting Anne after an operation and, finding the house in a state of chaos, offered to help her reorganize, instead, Anne went out and bought a plaque, thereafter prominently displayed, which read "Only dull women keep immaculate households." Both Anne and Malcolm were lifelong animal lovers, and kept a series of Newfoundland-breed dogs: Anoushka, Vishnikov, Genji, Natasha (von Fritzi), Rafaella, Burleigh, and Toyomasa. Natasha was a particularly gifted hostess, greeting guests at the door and shepherding them on tours of the house. Anne also maintained a pond full of Japanese koi, trained crows to appear at her command, and was, on occasion, a "swan whisperer." A voracious reader, Anne was fascinated by scientific invention, co-founded an investment club irreverently entitled "Ladies of the Night," and was the guiding spirit of a secret society called "The Forethought of Illusion," played the lute and the harpsichord (albeit rather tentatively), enjoyed fine vintages and once in a while a good cigar. Her signature dish, cioppino, packed a powerful punch for all those fortunate enough to have tried it. She was a brilliant conversationalist, always had time for others, graciously helped friends in need, and left an indelible impression on her many devoted friends and acquaintances. At her husband's a retirement party, she told guests, "I was just a girl form Wisconsin who always dreamed of someday going to Samarkand. He took me there, and I am eternally grateful to him for it."
In addition to Dr. McHenry, she is survived by a brother, Larry, of Kansas; and a sister, Patty, of Savannah, Georgia. In accordance with her wishes, she was cremated and there will be no public service.
Friends wishing to mark her passing are encouraged to make a donation in her memory to the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, to the UC Davis Teaching Hospital Animal Companion Fund.
She wished donations also be considered for Medical School Scholarships for California North State University through the Northern California Educational Foundation 9700 W. Taron Rd., Elk Gove, CA.
In addition to Dr. McHenry, she is survived by a brother, Larry, of Kansas; and a sister, Patty, of Savannah, Georgia. In accordance with her wishes, she was cremated and there will be no public service.
Friends wishing to mark her passing are encouraged to make a donation in her memory to the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, to the UC Davis Teaching Hospital Animal Companion Fund.
She wished donations also be considered for Medical School Scholarships for California North State University through the Northern California Educational Foundation 9700 W. Taron Rd., Elk Gove, CA.
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