Michael John Henchman, age 86, of Concord, MA, died on May 20, 2021, at Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln. Michael was born in London, England. He was the only child of John Stuart Henchman and Sylvia Bliss Glendell. He was the much loved husband of Katrina (Kate) Groat Henchman, and father of Anna Henchman of Cambridge, MA, and Sacha Henchman of San Francisco and grand-father to Alexandra Henchman-Biel. He was step-father to Alex van Someren and Nicko van Someren and step-grandfather to Venice, Fred, Laurence and Max van Someren. Michael's early life was shaped by World War II. His family was evacuated from London. He and his mother ended up in a boardinghouse in Dorset, while his father joined the RAF. His father was captured by the Japanese in the Far East, where he was interned for three years in a Japanese prison of war camp. When he unexpectedly returned, the marriage broke up, and his father moved to Guernsey, where he owned a tomato farm jointly with his brother and sister. Michael always claimed that he was "the humble son of a humble tomato farmer". Michael was educated at Sherborne School and won a scholarship to Clare College, Cambridge. From there, he won a Mellon Fellowship for study at Yale, and continued on there to complete his Ph.D. in Chemistry. After a short post-doc at Cambridge, he took up a post at Leeds university, working with Prof. Fred Dainton (later Lord Dainton). He came to the U.S. to teach at Brandeis in 1966. At Yale, Michael was captivated by the fledgling field of chemical reaction dynamics. Throughout his career, he cultivated interdisciplinary perspectives and contributed new ideas to a wide range of domains, among them solution chemistry and biochemistry in the gas phase the radar signature of rockets, deuteration of exotic molecules in interstellar space and its cosmological implications. In his later years, he developed popular interdisciplinary courses on science and art. They explored the chemistry of artist's materials, art restoration, and the investigation of fakes and forgeries. With the help of former student, Michael Douma, he developed a website and with teaching materials and videos, and was featured in a PBS NOVA program, "The Viking Deception" about the purported Viking Map. Michael was a devoted Concord citizen, joining many organizations and supporting local charitable and conservation organizations. An avid member of the Concord Players, he was twice co-producer for "Little Women", which he dubbed "Concord's Passion Play". His English accent made him an ideal casting choice for butlers or elderly clergymen. Michael's lifelong love of music dovetailed well with his love of travel, and attendance at scientific conferences. This took him and Kate to hundreds of concerts and operas around the world. Michael was a man of varied interests and talents: chef and party giver extraordinaire. He was witty and debonair, an elegant dresser, and recognizable anywhere as an Englishman. A celebration of Michael's life will be planned for the fall of 2021. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Care Dimensions, 75 Sylvan Street, Suite B-102, Danvers, MA 01923 or The Concord Players, P.O. Box 22, Concord, MA 01742. Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord.