Jeanne F. Herndon

Jeanne Forcade Herndon passed away on July 10th at her residence in Bishop Gadsden in Charleston, SC.  She was 92 years old.

Jeanne was born to Gayle and Sara Bacon Forcade in Kansas City, Missouri in 1930. The family moved to New York and then Maryland.  Jeanne attended the University of Kentucky where she met and married Alex Herndon, and they lived and worked on the family farm in Richmond, Kentucky for 50 years.  Jeanne was an accomplished seamstress, as she made many of her own clothes as well as quilts, clothes for dolls, and needlepointing.   Additionally, she was an accomplished gardener and award-winning flower arranger.  During her time in Richmond, she was a volunteer for various organizations, including the 4H Club as a sewing instructor, the Richmond Little League, The Richmond Garden Club, and the First Christian Church.

For a decade Jeanne and Alex made their residence at main house on Pleasant View Farm. After Alex’s death, Jeanne sold the house and surrounding acreage to the Battle of Richmond Association, making the house and lands that saw the Civil War Battle of Richmond available for all to enjoy. 

In 2007 Jeanne moved to Charleston where she resided at Bishop Gadsden.  She enjoyed singing in the choir at the Bishop Gadsden Chapel and made many wonderful friends there, especially Chet Waldron, with whom she travelled extensively. 

In addition to her husband, Alex, she was predeceased by her parents, her son, Christopher Herndon, and by her 2 sisters, Mary Collins and Suzanne Forcade.   She is survived by her son, Gayle Herndon (Anne) of Kiawah Island, SC; 4 grandchildren, Whitley Herndon of Washington, DC, Mary Elkins (Clark) of Nashville, TN, Kate Westergard (Tim) of Nashville, TN, and William Herndon (Caroline) of Ft. Worth, TX; and 3 great-grandchildren, Philip and Arthur Westergard and Annabelle Herndon.

Jeanne will be interred at the Richmond Cemetery at a future date.  The family requests those who wish to express sympathy to consider making a donation to their favorite charity in Jeanne’s name.