Wanda Darlene Henderson

Wanda Darlene Dunn Henderson died peacefully at home on November 16, 2009. Darlene was born at the family farm near Mulhall, Oklahoma, on October 2, 1930, to William Melvin Dunn and Mary Alice Wilder Dunn, the ninth of the eleven children born to their family, and the ninth to join them in Heaven. She was a little sister to Bertha, Geneva, Cecil, Ruth, Pauline, Wallace, Imogene, and Faye, and a big sister to Jim and Verna. She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, five sisters and three brothers. She is survived by daughter, Shirley Bolton and husband Steve of Fort Collins, Colorado; son, David and fiancé Melanie Johnson of Perry, Oklahoma; six grandchildren and nine great grandchildren; sisters, Faye Hunt and Verna Bryan; a host of loving nieces and nephews; and a sister-in-law and a brother-in-law, Evelyn and Phil Carrier of Portland, Oregon. Through the years, Darlene was known as a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother and grandmother, a favorite aunt, a faithful employee, a good friend, and a woman devoted to her family and friends. On September 3, 1947, she married Sylvan "Jack" Henderson in Perkins and spent the next 58 years working alongside him as wife, best friend and mother to their son, David, and daughter, Shirley. The family moved a number of times, living all over Oklahoma, in Kansas and Texas due to Jack's career in heavy construction. Wherever they went, Darlene quickly made a home for them – as long as they were together, it was "home" in the truest sense. As soon as the kids were enrolled in school and the house was set up, she set about finding a church home. Many church choirs were blessed by her beautiful alto voice over the years. She loved singing in the choir along with helping with the children and infants in the Sunday school classrooms. After Shirley and David were grown Darlene went back to school at the local community college and became a lead teacher in a pre-school/daycare classroom, providing love and care for more young children while their parents were working. When Jack and Darlene started thinking about someday retiring, they returned to the area where they grew up and had friends and family. After moving to Glencoe, they quickly became "Grandma" and "Grandpa" to most of the community. Being involved in local activities soon kept them busy and truly made Glencoe their home. Whether it was school, church, Booster Club or driving for Meals on Wheels, Darlene was always giving to those around her and loving every minute of it. Darlene loved kids of all ages and that, along with her famous hot rolls, quickly made her one of the favorites in the cafeteria at Glencoe Public Schools. She loved to cook and see people enjoy good food, and was especially glad to maintain a healthy salad bar for the students and faculty at the schools. One of her favorite cooking endeavors was the annual trip to Falls Creek with the youth group from First Baptist Church. With their farm roots it was only natural for Darlene and Jack to become active in the FFA Booster Club. They worked together for a number of years to encourage and support the young men and women who were members, with Darlene's famous cooking helping to raise money and feed lots of hungry kids. While David and Shirley were growing up, the family often spent evenings around the kitchen table playing games. There was Rook and dominoes, Sorry and Monopoly, not to mention Chinese checkers, Spades and Rummy. Somewhere along the way Canasta was added to the list, and it was a favorite for many years. The love of playing cards and other games continued until Darlene's vision prohibited her from playing. Then she would sit by the table and participate in the play-by-play as everybody called out what was happening. One of the highlights in Darlene's life was becoming a grandmother. Steven, Court, Katie, Kirsten, Angela and Abby all had special places in their Grandma's heart. She loved to play and read to them and took every opportunity to brag about them to anyone who would listen. The only thing that might be able to outshine the grandkids was the great-grandkids. After Jack's death Darlene moved to Colorado, where she enjoyed the frequent visits of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In the last few years, Darlene's failing health limited her ability to do the things she had long enjoyed, but not her love for people. After moving to Colorado she stayed in touch with family and friends by phone and always enjoyed the long-distance visits. Near the end of her life, Darlene was blessed by the loving staff at Pathways Hospice. She always looked forward to their visits in her home and grew to love them and appreciate their kindness and concern. Special thanks to Jill, Cheri, Laura, Maria, Michelle and Sydney for the time they devoted to Darlene and the family. The greatest way we can honor Darlene is to remember the joy she brought to our lives and the things that were important for her to pass on to us – faith, responsibility, giving, serving others and love for family and friends. Every time we gather around a table to eat or play a game, she will be there loving, laughing, cheering us on. She will continue to live in our hearts and memories until the time when we are reunited. Thanks, Mom, for everything.