Henry L. Chambers

Henry Lawrence Chambers, 82, of Capitol Heights, Md., died March 10, 2020, at Doctors Hospital, Lanham, Md. He was born May 23, 1937, on the family farm in Gretna, Va., the second son of the late William Lloyd Chambers and the late Jennie Dillard Chambers. Chambers graduated from Northside (Gretna) High School in 1952, at the age of 15. That fall, he entered Virginia Union University (VUU) in Richmond. He graduated from VUU, where he was a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, in 1957 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. He moved to Baltimore after graduation where he was a social worker. While in Baltimore, he met Lauretta Althea Clark, a Washington, D.C., native and graduate of Howard University. They were coworkers at the old Welfare Department. They married April 11, 1959, in Washington, D.C. She predeceased him in 2007. From 1961 to 1963, Chambers served in the U.S. Army; he then served as a reservist, and was honorably discharged in 1966. He was stationed in Germany when the Berlin Wall was raised. Following his service, he returned to Washington. He continued work in the D.C. Department of Human Services, eventually rising to the role of Supervisory Social Services Representative in the Income Maintenance Administration. After retiring from D.C. government in 2001, he remained involved in issues of interest to federal workers. He was service officer in the National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) organization, chapter 2262. He is survived by his devoted children: Cheryl Vanessa Chambers (Eric D. Koger) of Upper Marlboro, Md.; Carla Valeria Chambers of Washington, D.C.; and Henry Lawrence Chambers, Jr. (Paula) of Richmond, Va., and their children: Virginia Rose Chambers, William Henry Chambers and Joseph Clark Chambers, all of Richmond. His older brother William Lloyd Chambers, Jr. (Joan) of Morrisville, Pa., predeceased him in 2007. He is survived by younger brother Rother Leroy Chambers (Francesca) of Brandon, Fla. In addition, he survived by many in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews, and longtime friends, all of whom he loved a great deal. A celebration of his life for family and friends will be held when circumstances allow. If you want to honor his memory, thank a social worker, be a blessing to a neighborhood kid, and get involved in your community. Those wishing to make memorial contributions may do so in his name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Virginia Union University. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Henry L. Chambers please visit our Sympathy Store.