Promoted to Glory: Major Georgia Henderson

Major Georgia Henderson was Promoted to Glory on February 25, 2026, at the age of 83. 

Georgia Helen Cleveland was born in Atlanta on November 29, 1942, the oldest child of Captains Harlen and Ethel Cleveland. Georgia and her two siblings, Paul and Dorothy, were taught early on of Christ’s love in action through the example of their parents. She shared in her written testimony that although she could not remember the very moment that she gave her heart to Jesus, “His presence has changed my life from what it might have been, and it has been nurtured in His love.” 

Georgia graduated from Harding High School in Oklahoma City, OK, then from Asbury University with a Bachelor of Arts in Education. She taught first grade students in The Salvation Army’s children’s home in Mexico City, and later taught sixth graders in Dekalb County, GA. 

Called to officership, she entered the Training College and was ordained and commissioned in 1967 as a member of the Witnesses of the Faith session. The very next day, she married Captain Robert Henderson. Together, the Hendersons served as corps officers in Birmingham, AL; Greenville and Gulfport-Biloxi, MS; Wilson and Charlotte Temple, NC; and Cumberland and Hagerstown, MD. They also served as divisional youth leaders of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Division and the Georgia Division. 

In 2001, the Majors Hendersons retired to Georgia’s mother’s hometown of St. Petersburg, FL. She continued her service to Christ in that corps, playing alto horn in the band, singing in the songsters, leading Bible studies and prayer groups for women, teaching Sunday school, junior soldiers, and corps cadets, and serving as the young people’s sergeant-major (YPSM) until 2020. 

Major Georgia continued to minister through post-retirement service with the St. Petersburg Area Command as volunteer coordinator and as chaplain to the Sallie House and Children’s Village, a long-term residential foster care. She also offered prayer and pastoral care at the VA hospital and led visitation teams to the elderly in residential facilities across the area. 

The ministry closest to her heart was not a program or an organized effort, but simply her genuine love and care for young adults. Since her Promotion to Glory, many young adults have publicly testified to the impact she had on their lives, leading several to Christ, offering wise counsel, and giving practical support that many had never experienced before. 

Major Georgia Henderson is preceded in death by her parents, Lt. Colonel Harlan and Ethel Cleveland. She is survived by her husband of nearly 59 years, Major Bob Henderson; her children, Major Julie (Chuck) Whiten, Major Cameron (Paula) Henderson, Todd (Pamela) Henderson, and Craig (Erin) Henderson; and her siblings Paul Cleveland and Dorothy Pointer. She also leaves eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. 

A Celebration of Life service will be held on March 3, 2026, at the St. Petersburg Corps. A committal service will follow at the Memorial Park Cemetery in St. Petersburg.