Earl E. "Gene" Henry's Obituary
Earl Henry Obituary
Earl or “Gene”, as he was affectionately known, was born November 24, 1934 in Miami, Oklahoma, the son of Earl, Sr. and Dixie Nadine (Chambers) Henry. He came from humble beginnings, growing up extremely poor in a mining family, working long hours on the area farms and would take most any odd job that would generate a payday. To hear Earl tell it, he walked to school uphill both ways in the snow! He nicknamed himself “Peabody,” after a resourceful mine in the area. This might have been his way to forecast his personal success as he always knew he would grow up to be successful, just like that Peabody mine. An exceptional athlete, Earl excelled in football, basketball and baseball. He was a member of an elite group of athletes known to be the “Thin 13” - more formally known as the Picher Gorillas. Earl was proud to have played ball alongside the great Mickey Mantle and once saw Mickey hit the longest home run recorded in the history of Pitcher baseball - a ball that is still probably rolling in the creek beds of Picher today. As a quarterback, Earl earned a full-ride scholarship to Coffeyville Junior College where he served as the team captain. On October 17, 1953, Earl married Marlene Sue Mooney in Cardin, Oklahoma. At the same time, he began a 10-year career in the United States Air Force. Stationed in Morocco during the Eisenhower Administration, Earl earned a high security clearance in the radar division and personally tracked the President’s plane on several occasions. He was proud of his honorable service to his country. Following his decade in the Air Force, Earl moved his young family from Albuquerque to Los Angeles to pursue a career in sales for Southwest Grease and Oil. He represented the company’s western division for grease, oil, and gas. Earl had a keen ability to network - never meeting a stranger - and made strong connections with Sam Walton, Murphy Oil, and the labor unions on a large scale. While in Oklahoma, visiting family in Picher, Earl travelled through Bixby and fell in love with the community. So much so, that he relocated his family there immediately. Earl raised his two children in Bixby, showing tremendous support to the schools, teachers, coaches, and helped establish the school’s baseball field. He also supported his children and grandchildren in every way possible. Earl was a natural born leader. He was appointed City Council Member for the City of Glenpool on November 12, 1981. He would become the City’s Vice Mayor on November 16th that same year. When the mayor resigned in 1982, Earl served as Interim Mayor through 1983 and then won the mayoral election for the City of Glenpool in 1987. Quite the entrepreneur, Earl owned and operated several successful enterprises in the area which included: a convenience store, the Glenpool Tag Agency, Henry Oil, Standard Products and Lisa Trucking in Bixby. Earl will not soon be forgotten by a host of friends and family who loved him dearly. Surviving family members include: his daughter, Lisa Henry Baker of Bixby; his grandchildren: Jennifer Baker Strope of Beaumont, TX, Jason K. Baker of Bixby, and Jerrod P. Baker of Jenks; 9 great-grandchildren; and his siblings: Richard Henry, Pequita Crabtree, Belinda Timmerman, Kay Henry, Royal Crabtree, and Jimmy Timmerman. Earl was preceded in death by his wife, Marlene Sue (Mooney) Henry; his parents; and his son, Michael E. Henry.
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