LA MIRADA, Calif. --- We are deeply grieved to share that Dee Henry, a treasured faculty emeritus and former head tennis coach, passed away on Sunday, June 11. 

Dee, who was affectionately called Coach Henry, began her tenure at Biola in 1971 and over the course of her 49 years of service she used tennis as a vehicle to impact countless Biola students and many members of the local community. To many, Coach Henry is considered a shining example of exhibiting a servant's heart. Her life was defined by one simple statement, "Here to SERVE."

In addition to her work at Biola, she was actively involved in the tennis community at large, and especially impactful in working with the local youth and the wheelchair tennis community. In 2019, she earned the Brad Parks Award from the United States Tennis Association (USTA), specifically highlighting her work with the wheelchair community. The final quote from Coach Henry at the end of this tribute video illustrates her true heart of service.

"I like to do stuff for other people, you know," Henry said. "If I can help somebody, then my living is not going to be in vain."

Coach Henry was a United States Professional Tennis Association Elite Professional and earned a lengthy list service awards from the USPTA, National Junior Tennis League, Southern California Tennis Association, SoCal Special Olympics and Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Here is a tribute article recently released from the ITA.

She came to Biola from Indiana after receiving her bachelor's degree from Marion College and graduate degree from Ball State. In 1968, she married her husband James A Henry prior to relocating to Southern California, where she took great care in advancing the game of tennis in any way she could. She sees tennis as a microcosm, a miniature life setting, where one can experience the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, the opportunity to cheat or to be cheated. Strong focus is on how to make tennis decisions that have to be made very quickly and that the response determines the outcome. 

Coach Henry coached Biola's varsity tennis programs from 1971 through 2015 and served as faculty in the kinesiology department, teaching activity courses and running the Biola Tennis Center until she retired. She was instrumental in the fundraising and build out of the Biola Tennis Center, which is regarded as one of the best college facilities in the nation.

In 2014 she earned the Pete Brown Lifetime Achievement Award from the United States Professional Tennis Association, and in 2016 she earned the Educational Merit Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame. 

Information about memorial services and other tributes to Dee Henry are available on the Dee Henry Facebook page.

A public memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, July 29 at 10 a.m. The service will be held at Whittier Area Community Church in the Worship Center. The memorial is dedicated to celebrating Dee's life of SERVICE to God and the tennis community and is open to anyone whose life was touched by Dee Henry.

Coach Henry's family shared a link for those who are interested in honoring her memory with a gift. 

"La Mirada Community Tennis Association was established by Dee to support the work of providing programs for challenged athletes of all ages and abilities. This includes wheelchair tennis instructional programs, wheelchair tennis tournaments, Special Olympics tennis programs and training of volunteers. Here is a link to the website for that organization: https://playtennis.usta.com/la-mirada-cta/contact.

Your tax-deductible donations to this organization will help keep Dee's vision and passion alive. To donate:
Checks payable to La Mirada Community Tennis Association and mail to:
La Mirada Community Tennis Association
c/o Mark Jones, Treasurer
16662 Camille Place
Yorba Linda, CA  92886"