Funeral Services for Gary Henning, Age 75 of Gainesville, Missouri will be held on Wednesday, September 30th, 2026 at The Mammoth Assembly of God Church, Gainesville, Missouri, beginning at 11:00 AM. Visitation will precede the service, beginning at 10:00 AM. Burial will take place in The Lutie Cemetery, Theodoshia, Missouri.
Arrangements under the direction of The Clinkingbeard Funeral Home, Gainesville, Missouri.
Garry Lloyd Henning, 75, of Gainesville, MO went to be with his Heavenly Father on September 26, 2026, following a long and courageous battle with cancer. He passed peacefully with his beloved family by his side. Though his family will miss him beyond words, they find comfort knowing that he is now reunited with the loved ones he so often spoke about and is home with the Lord he faithfully served throughout his life.
Garry was born on August 23, 1951, in Mountain Home, Arkansas, to Robert and Winona Henning. He grew up in Mammoth, Missouri, where he attended a one-room schoolhouse. He often said that he received the best education possible from his beloved teachers, Ms. Evelyn Morrison and Ms. Pamela Trump. He graduated from Gainesville High School in 1970.
Garry was a devoted follower of Christ. He was baptized at Possum Walk Creek and spent his life serving the Lord and sharing his faith through the way he lived. In his later years, he attended Frontier Baptist Church in Pontiac.
Garry proudly served his country in the United States Marine Corps as a flight line mechanic. He was stationed at Merritt Field in Beaufort, South Carolina, where he was promoted to Lance Corporal. His service to his country was a source of pride throughout his life.
On April 28, 1972, Garry married the love of his life, Ramona White, at Mammoth Assembly of God, with Pastor Chester Strong officiating. They shared more than 54 years of marriage and built a life centered around faith, family, hard work, and love. Garry was always proud to tell people how long they had been married. Whenever someone asked him the secret to a long and happy marriage, he would smile and say, “Remember that she is always right.”
Together, Garry and Ramona raised four daughters, whom Garry proudly called his greatest accomplishments. His family was the greatest source of joy in his life.
Garry truly was a “jack of all trades.” Throughout his life, he worked as a shipfitter at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington State, farmed dairy cattle, drove a school bus for the Gainesville School District, drove a truck, and eventually retired as a correctional officer from Ozarks Correctional Center in Fordland, Missouri. Whatever job he took on, Garry approached it with determination and a strong work ethic.
But more than anything, Garry loved his family and the outdoors.
Some of his fondest memories came from growing up alongside his brother Jerry. Their childhood adventures, along with their faithful dog, Lance, sounded like something straight out of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. They explored the woods, creeks, and caves around Mammoth, creating the kinds of stories that would be told and retold for generations.
As a father and grandfather, Garry passed that love of the outdoors down to his children and grandchildren. He loved taking them on walks through the woods, teaching them to hunt and fish and sharing his knowledge of the many wild edibles found throughout the Ozarks. He especially enjoyed hunting for morel mushrooms and digging for sassafras roots to make Russian tea.
Garry believed his girls should know how to take care of themselves. He taught each of his daughters how to cut their own firewood and change their own tires—just in case any of them ever married a “wuss.”
He was also his daughters’ biggest fan. He attended their activities throughout their childhoods, coached their little league teams, and, when he wasn’t coaching, could be found proudly sitting in the stands cheering them on. Garry never hesitated to support his family, even when it meant stepping outside of his comfort zone. He once attended his grandson’s production of Hamlet, despite the fact that Shakespeare was certainly not his thing. That was Garry—he showed up because the people he loved mattered more than whether or not he thought he would enjoy himself.
His grandchildren knew him as “Poppy,” and there was no greater title in the world to Garry. He treasured every one of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and took immense pride in watching his family grow. His love, stories, lessons, humor, and sometimes stubborn determination will live on through each generation.
Garry was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Winona Henning; his grandparents, Jess and LouRainie Mahan and Burt and Josephine Henning; his favorite cousin, Darrell Mahan; his father-in-law, Elbert White; and his sister-in-law, Diane White.
He leaves behind his loving wife, Ramona, of the family home, and four daughters who were the pride of his life: Jennifer Crane and husband Michael of Morris, Alabama; Karen Hubbard and husband Yancy of Gainesville, Missouri; Rachael Deatherage and husband Brian of Prairie Grove, Arkansas; and Jessica Wentworth and husband Larry of Mountain Home, Arkansas.
He is also survived by his twelve beloved grandchildren: Tessa Day, Zane Day, Athen Day, Farrah Day, and Hadley Crane of Morris, Alabama; Dalton Hubbard and wife Katherine of Dallas, Texas; Payton Hubbard of Gainesville; Amelie Deatherage, Kinley Deatherage, and Briley Deatherage of Prairie Grove, Arkansas; and Trey Wentworth and Connor Wentworth of Mountain Home, Arkansas.
He leaves behind four precious great-grandchildren: Cameron Hubbard, Clark Hubbard, and Maxamillion Hubbard of Dallas, Texas, and Markevian Smith of Gainesville.
He is also survived by his sister, Sandy Young and husband Jerry of Chickamauga, Georgia; his brother, Jerry and wife Sherry of Bradleyville, Missouri; his mother-in-law, Maxine White of Gainesville; his brother-in-law, Darrell White of Gainesville; his sister-in-law, Brenda Warren and husband Sam of Gainesville; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends.
Until we meet again, Poppy. We love you more than words can say.
