Community pays respects to Tampa city council member Gwen Henderson at celebration of life

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Hundreds gathered for the celebration of life for Tampa City Council member Gwendolyn Henderson in Ybor this Tuesday.

This comes a week after Henderson unexpectedly died at 60.

Henderson was sworn into the Tampa City Council in 2023 and became Chair of the Community Redevelopment Agency shortly after.

She spent decades as an educator with Hillsborough County Public Schools and owned an African American bookstore in Tampa. 

At her celebration of life, friends and family gathered to remember Henderson. 

Harcourt Clark had known Henderson since 1981, as they attended college together.

“She’s always been energetic, she’s always been genuine, and one thing about her- she will never be forgotten,” Clark said.

Albert Myrick was a friend of Henderson. 

“Gwen was always a go-getter, she was motivated, and she did what she could for people,”  Myrick told WMNF. 

In a statement after her death, Mayor Jane Castor and Council Chair Alan Clendenin called her a “powerhouse” and a champion for African-American culture and Tampa’s history.

Fellow council member Lynn Hurtak called Henderson someone “to look up to.”