Official statement from IMSIMS Statement on Passing of Florence HendersonNovember 25 , 2016 By IMS Florence Henderson was a beloved member of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway family . She sang 23 times during Indianapolis 500 prerace festivities and recently served as Grand Marshal for the historic 100 th Running of the Race . The IMS family sends its thoughts and prayers to her loved ones during this difficult time . IMS President Doug Boles shared the following words reflecting on her life and legacy Florence Henderson had an amazing impact on generations of Americans through her platform as an actress and an even more profound impact on Indianapolis Motor Speedway fans through her passion for and contribution to those special moments leading up the command to start engines at the Indianapolis 500 . Our fans looked forward to seeing her on Race Day each year and her prerace involvement became one of the expected annual traditions that makes the Indianapolis 500 so powerful . This past year , we were pleased to have honored her as the Grand Marshall for the 100 th running of the Indianapolis 500 . More importantly , Florence Henderson was a treasured friend of the HulmanGeorge family for many years and the bond between them was as strong as family . We thank her for her friendship and love for our sport and her friends and family will be in our prayers . She was a lovely lady and she will be missed .