Shirlene Smith Henderson
Shirlene Henderson Obituary
Shirlene Smith Henderson
June 3, 1930 – July 5, 2022
With tender hearts, we said goodbye to our loving mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, Shirlene Smith Henderson, who quietly passed away at home on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, from the effects of COVID.
Shirlene was born on June 3, 1930, in Centerville, Utah to Nathan Carl Smith and Norma Adams Smith. She was the second of three daughters who were all raised in Centerville, a town full of people she dearly loved and which she spoke fondly of. She graduated from Davis High School and attended LDS Business College.
Shirlene married Lee Hammond in 1950 and was later divorced. She met her sweetheart, Hugh Marion Henderson, on a blind date, and they married three weeks later on August 17, 1962, in the Manti Temple, merging their two families together. Three children followed, bringing them to a grand total of ten children. Her wonderful cooking and canning kept them all fed, and her organizational skills kept their lives running smoothly. In those rare quiet moments, you could find her outside, hose in hand, watering the grass and flowers. Many years later when Hugh retired, the two of them served together in the Texas Houston East Mission, and they also loved being ordinance workers for seven years in the Salt Lake City Temple. He was the love of her life, and they shared 55 wonderful years as sweethearts until his death on August 19, 2017 following a seven-year battle with Alzheimer’s through which she was his loving caregiver.
A life-long member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Shirlene had a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and His gospel. She served in numerous positions of teaching and leadership, including Primary and Relief Society, but her favorite calling was wife, mother, and grandmother. She spent her life serving those around her with a sense of humor and a grateful heart. Her greatest joy in life was her family, and she was proud of her children and dearly loved her husband. She loved the Savior and His teachings and was always amazed at His beautiful creations.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, sister, oldest son, and two grandsons. She is survived by her sister, Marilou Wilson; her children: Kim (Shar) Henderson, Pam (Joe) English, Debbie (Scott) Bingham, Connie (Dave) Ott, Vickie (Mark-deceased) Hunter, Derk (Denise) Henderson, Marie (Harold) Adams, Annette (Gary) Yenchik, and David (Holly) Henderson; 40 grandchildren; 80 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.
We are so grateful for her love, example, faith, smiles, and warm hugs. We will miss her greatly, but we are comforted to know that we’ll see her again.
A viewing will be held on Monday, Funeral services will take place at Rosecrest 2nd Ward Chapel on Monday, July 11, 2022 at 11:00 AM with a viewing prior to the service from 10:00 AM to 10:45 AM. A Zoom meeting will be available on the website. Interment will take place at Wasatch Lawn Cemetery around 12:30 PM. Masks will be provided if needed.