Verlee Henry

Verlee Shockley Henry, 93, passed away peacefully, in the presence of her two daughters, on October 24, 2018. Mrs. Henry was preceded in death by husband, Wellington Glenn Henry, daughter Joni Kay (Henry) Little, and brother Harold Shockley.

She was born November 29, 1924 in Vichy, Missouri to Ida (Pohl) and Jesse Shockley.  At the age of 16 she completed high school and went on to attend business school in St. Louis and Missouri State University.  By the time she was 17, she was employed at Fort Leonard Wood in their engineering department; later she worked as a secretary for various corporations.

On June 15th, 1947, she wed the love of her life, Wellington Henry; their union blessed them with three daughters.

As a lifetime member of Memorial Christian Church, she had a strong heart for God. Serving the Lord and helping others in times of need was a natural calling for her that she held dear to her heart.

Verlee was an amazing person.  Her family meant everything to her and she loved being a wife and mother first.  She adored her parents and enjoyed spending holidays, weekends and vacations with her and Wellington’s parents, siblings and their families.  But most important to her was being a mother.  Verlee made sure that her three little girls were always able to participate in activities, that they always had pretty things to wear and had plenty of time to play.  She was the role model mom that drew all the girl’s friends to spend time with their family.

Verlee and her husband of over 51 years loved to travel extensively and visited many foreign countries.  In addition, they also loved to camp and camped in over 25 states along with multiple Canadian Provinces.  The family along with the grandparents especially enjoyed historical locations and national parks and even visited several World’s Fairs.

Like her father, Verlee was a storyteller.  She shared stories with her children, grandchildren and great- grandchildren of growing up on the farm and her many adventures as a young woman going to school and working.  She loved to dance and loved social events.  Her infectious smile and sense of humor will be greatly missed.

She is survived by her children, Kimberly (Henry) Mason (Ron), and Glenda (Henry) Johnson (Kris), as well as her 9 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.  She is also survived by brother Wendell Shockley, sister Janice (Shockley) Gallagher, sister-in-law Maxine (Henry) McDaniel, brother-in-law Carl Henry (Nancy) and many nieces and nephews.