Gladys Kathleen Hensley's Obituary
Gladys K. Hensley, Mom, Aunt Gladys, Friend, Nanna, Mrs. Gladys, Mrs. Hensley, early years told me of memories of picking cotton with her family in the fields around Sallisaw. Laying on cotton sacks watching the clouds making pictures with them. She was competitive one of her fonder moments was when she had picked more cotton than one of her brothers. Walked to school there were 11 in her central high school graduating class she went on to attend Bacone Jr. College and graduated with a teaching degree from Northeastern State College @ Tahlequah. Mom’s 2nd marriage was to my dad, Buel Hensley also of Sallisaw, he was in the Air Force at the time. She was in Seattle working with some of her family when I was born in march 1944, Her dad was there and died the day I was born. As soon as I was able to travel, she loaded us up on a train and headed to Sallisaw OK, where we stayed until my dad returned from WW II, We moved to Tulsa so dad could attend Spartain and go to work for American Airlines until his death at 44 years old. Mom was a stay at home mom and did a fantastic job as a parent and home maker, she was a super cook and made everything taste wonderful. She had two brothers in Tahlequah, Fate & Troy, our families visited a lot when all us children were young. We would travel back and forth and spend weekends together. I have fond memories of the time when I was young, playing and being a kid. Mom was a strict disciplinarian and it was obvious to me by the time I was 5 there were consequences for bad behavior, at that point I tried not to experience the consequences. She stayed at home with me until I was 10 or 11 and then started her teaching career at Tulsa Public Schools. Eventually going to Owasso and finishing out her career there. I had a wonderful child hood, we didn’t have a lot but we had all we needed I never thought we were deprived or missed anything. Upon graduation from Rogers H.S. in 1962, there was no decision, I started Northeastern State in summer school and graduated a few years later. After I got married and had two Sons Darren and Jeff, they were the light of her life, she was there for them and after my divorce from their mom, there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for them to help them in any way she could. She always had dogs and they were the best treated animals one could imagine, Ben, Trixy, Bubbles, & Muffin. Growing up she tolerated all my creatures for snakes, bats, Ginny pigs, rabbits, jack rabbit, crow etc. She had great friends during her lifetime most of them have passed, some were fellow educators, neighbors, acquaintances, and others. Her last friend set came a Baptist village. She was there for over four years, the staff was always telling me what a sweet mother I had and I was very thankful that was the personality she personified while there. Because she could be a bear when she wanted to be. I was very impress in mom’s last moments at the number of staff that came by to wish her well and tell her they loved her.Survived By: son: Jerry and wife, Liz; granchildren: Darren Hensley and Kay and Jeff Hensley and Wynona; great grandchildren: Jacob, Alex, and Tyler; Niece: Mary, and Nephew: Dennis
What’s your fondest memory of Gladys?
What’s a lesson you learned from Gladys?
Share a story where Gladys' kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Gladys you’ll never forget.
How did Gladys make you smile?