Obituary of Janie Sue Whitworth Henderson

Janie Sue (Whitworth) Henderson of Bolivar, Missouri was born in Eldridge, Missouri near Tunnel Dam April 16th. 1935 the daughter of Dock and Edith (McClanahan) Whitworth.  She went to be with the Lord May 12, 2019 at Parkview Care Facility in Bolivar, Missouri with her children by her side after a several year battle with the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Janie Sue as she was called spent most of her younger days growing up in Camden County near Macks Creek.  She attended several schools as a young girl including Pleasant Grove, Camdenton, and briefly in Kansas City during WW II before maturing into a strikingly beautiful young woman, graduating as the Annual Queen from Macks Creek High School in 1953.  After graduation she attended Southwest Missouri State in Springfield for a year before moving to Kansas City with several other childhood friends to find work.  Janie Sue quickly secured a job with Suconi Mobile Oil in Downtown KC and loved to tell of how she on occasion rode in the same elevator as Harry Truman who had an office in her building.  While seeking a ride back to Macks Creek one weekend with her cousin she shared a car with a young man fresh out of the Air Force whose home was in Tunas.  She must have liked him because one thing led to another and Harold Henderson and Janie Sue Whitworth were united in marriage at the First Baptist Church in Macks Creek March 16th. 1956.  Only her passing 63 years later could separate the couple.  To this union two children, Steve and Kim, were born.

As a young Mother Janie Sue watched over her family as they lived in several different communities which in order were Lead Mine, and Urbana, Missouri, Derby, Udall, and Horton, Kansas, Bolivar and Springfield, before returning to Bolivar for the last several years of her life.  For the most part while her children were at home Janie Sue was a housewife.  Her husband and children could always count on a hot breakfast being ready in the morning, lunch at noon, snacks after school, and a full dinner each evening.  She was an outstanding cook and excellent seamstress. She read voraciously and loved flowers and gardening.  She was always there for her family and spent countless hours bandaging cuts, soothing bumps and bruises, and offering help and encouragement for her husband’s work and her children’s activities.  She was sort of a super mom and wife and was always available for a ride here and there, to be a trusted escort for her husband at meetings and dinners, or just to sit and talk about what might be bothering her family members and making them all feel better.  She rarely took time for herself and was always thinking of others.  She loved her parents and spent many happy hours with her brother Larry and his wife Betty and their children.  Her husband’s family became hers and she loved Harold’s parents, brothers and sisters, and all their children.  She was especially close to her sister in law June Hoppers and spent many happy times with her throughout their lives.  She was proud of her heritage and proud of where she came from.

When their health permitted Harold and Janie Sue loved travelling around the country particularly with their relatives.  It was never mostly about the destination but more about the company.  Harold and Janie Sue were very sociable and loved to visit with others.  Janie Sue adored her three granddaughters Baylee, Lindsay, and Shelby and was fortunate to be able to spend many happy years with them.

When her health began to deteriorate Janie Sue was fortunate to have her daughter Kim and Kim’s husband Joel next door.  Kim and Joel unselfishly spent many hours caring for Janie Sue and sacrificed much to make sure that their Mom was well cared for.  After moving to an assisted living facility Janie Sue could count on daily visits from Kim up and until her passing.

Janie Sue professed her faith in Jesus Christ as a young woman and her faith never wavered.  She was fond of recounting how she was baptized in the river during a sleet storm and how not even the frigid water could dampen her determination to demonstrate her faith in the resurrection and her belief in God’s promise of eternal life for those who believe.  It is with no uncertainty that she is now with the Lord.

Janie Sue was preceded in death by her parents Dock S. and Edith P. Whitworth, one brother and his wife, Larry and Betty Whitworth, and one sister Rosemary Elliot.

She is survived by her husband of 63 years Harold of Bolivar, her two children Kimberly and husband Joel Kahn, and Steve and wife Lori Henderson, all of Bolivar.  Three granddaughters, Baylee and husband Adam Hitchens of Lees Summit, Missouri, Lindsay Henderson of Kansas City, Missouri, and Shelby Henderson of Bolivar.  Many nieces and nephews, and grand nieces and nephews whom she loved with all her heart.

Services will be held at 2:00 pm, Thursday, May 16, 2019 at Hedges-Scott Funeral Home in Macks Creek, Missouri. The family will welcome friends for visitation from 1:00-2:00 pm prior to services at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Macks Creek Cemetery, Macks Creek, Missouri.