Whether it was through sports, books or elaborate Lego creations, 7-year-old John Henderson demonstrated a strong sense of curiosity and adventure, his family said in a statement released Thursday.

“He displayed a keen interest in how things work, reading books on topics from engineering to astronomy,” the Henderson family said of the North Davis Elementary School second-grader. “Most of all, he prided himself on his independent exploration, preferring to puzzle over things himself rather than asking for help.”

True to form, John let a loose tooth linger for three months because he didn’t want anyone to pull it out for him, the family said.

John died Tuesday from injuries he sustained following a fall from a chairlift at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort, where he was in his second year on the resort’s ski team. Bill Hudson, the team’s executive director, called John “an excellent skier” who “loved being on the mountain.”

But skiing was just one of the boy’s wide-ranging interests, said his family — parents Mark Henderson and Helen Chew, both UC Davis Medical Center physicians; sister Jessica, 22; and brother Paul, 16.

“John was always an active and rambunctious child, both outdoors and in,” the family said. His passions included baseball, soccer and biking, as well as challenging his older siblings to games of Battleship or boxing rounds on the Wii.

He aspired to one day be an astronaut or an inventor.

“John would enthusiastically discuss his interests with anyone who would listen. His outgoing personality and infectious laugh made him a serious charmer and a hit at all parties,” his family said. “He also loved a good prank or joke, inspired mainly by his extensive collection of Captain Underpants and Calvin and Hobbes books.”

During quieter times, John would read bedtime stories with his mother or play piano with his father.

A funeral service was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Friday at St. James Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family has asked that donations in John’s memory be made to the North Davis Elementary School PTA or to Jesuit High School in Carmichael.

“The family wishes to express their profound thanks to the Davis community for their love and support at this difficult time,” their statement said.

Meanwhile, North Davis Elementary School Principal Ramon Cusi has announced that grief counselors will be available for students when they return from their winter break.

“Please put John’s family in your thoughts and prayers,” Cusi wrote in an announcement sent Wednesday to all NDE families. The announcement also offered parents advice for discussing the boy’s death with their children.

— Reach Lauren Keene at [email protected] or (530) 747-8048. Follow her on Twitter @laurenkeene

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John Henderson, a second-grader at North Davis Elementary School who died of injuries after falling from a chairlift at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort, was an active and inquisitive child, family members said. Courtesy photo

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