He moved through life with an enthusiasm of spirit that encompassed all he did. He was a man with a ready grin, equally comfortable in black tie or khakis covered in paint and plaster from working in his art studio or on the Washington Spring Road house he loved. Henry could often be found gazing at his house from across the road at some new touch, some improvement, some repair with his artist eye and great delight.

Born in Paris to expatriate parents, Henry followed the artistic path of his father, Frederick C. Shrady, and his grandfather and namesake, Henry M. Shrady, both sculptors. A graduate of San Francisco Art Institute and Columbia University, he was a sculptor, painter, film production designer, and restorer of old houses and buildings. He never saw an old wreck of a house or boat or car that he didn’t love. He didn’t stroll through life - he galloped. The literal expression of this was his polo playing. Later sail boats replaced horses but the same intensity prevailed. Sailing Tout Doux from Oyster Bay to Piermont through Hells Gate on the edge of control and then having the perfect wind for sailing around the Statue of Liberty is a favorite family tale.

A proud East Village resident, he renovated two buildings creating unique spaces that are still admired. Henry was the first President of the First Street Block Association, Honorary Trustee of the New York City Marble Cemetery and a member of the St. Nicholas Society and The Century Association.

Henry brought his enthusiasm and commitment to Palisades when he and his wife Gale moved here 20 years ago and began renovating their house. He worked on the redesign of the Hyde house and served on the Historical Review Board for several years. Neighbor Blake Tovin describes people like Henry as a “builder upper” as opposed to a “tearer downer,” a rare and honorable club to be part of.

Henry’s family will remember him for his enthusiastic storytelling, improvisational piano playing, passionate political discussions, bow ties, and many adventures on land and sea. He will be greatly missed by friends and family including his wife Gale, his children Pierre Shrady (Mary) of Koln, and Francesca Shrady (Paul) of Santa Fe; his stepchildren Katherine Kavanagh (Keith) and Colleen Kavanagh (Noel) of Manhattan, and Matthew Kavanagh (Hilary) of Johannesburg; nine grandchildren, and his dear dachshund, Pepper.

Walt Whitman wrote, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” A Henry Shrady credo impressed on children and grandchildren and so they have and so they do