Maggie Marie (Smith) Henry, of Vinita, Oklahoma, formerly a long-time area resident of Mountain View, Missouri, passed away peacefully on September 22, 2023, at the age of 101 years old, surrounded by her loved ones. Maggie was born on November 11, 1921, in Van Buren, Arkansas, to W.J. and Francis Riggs-Smith.
She married Jesse Henry on August 30, 1940, in West Plains, Missouri, and made their home together for many years in Mountain View, Missouri, and to this union, three children were born R.C., William Wayne, and Judy Jane Henry.
Maggie spent many years working as a nurse’s aide in the Mountain View area. Maggie was a beloved member of Forest Dell Community Church for many years and was well known for her amazing hand-stitched quilts and dolls she made for her grandkids, storytelling, and knack for great garage sales. At 101 years old, she was a beloved matriarch of her family, always eager to share stories of her youth and measure the growth of her grandchildren each year to the next standing by her side (typically it didn’t take long to outgrow her), her homemade ice cream, home cooking, large garden her and Grandpa Jesse put out every year and all the stories of her being raised by her father on the riverboat will be cherished by many as well as the stories of her mother and siblings and surviving polio as a child. Maggie never met a stranger, and she and her daughter, Judy were quite well known in the Mountain View area as an inseparable pair until their health moved them to Oklahoma to be closer to family.
She is survived by five generations of grandchildren, including her seven grandchildren whom she cherished, Elizabeth “Jane” Henry-Childers (Gene) of Vinita, Oklahoma, Laurie Kay-Streets (Brad) of Topeka, KS, Steven Boyd Henry (Sharon) of Vinita, OK, Pamela Sue Gable of McLouth, KS, Rhonda Lea Henry (fiancé, Michael Hinds) of Kiefer, OK, Joseph “Jody” Henry (Jessica) of Vinita, OK, and Ashley Nicole Henry-Carr (Loren) of Rogersville, MO; 24 great-grandchildren; 23 great-great-grandchildren; several step-grandchildren; and very special daughter-in-law, Patricia Henry-Martin, whom she always had a very special bond and thought of her as her own daughter.
Maggie was preceded in death by her parents; four siblings; her husband of 62 years, Jesse Henry; two sons, William Wayne Henry and R.C Henry; daughter, Judy Jane Henry-Griffin; grandsons, Jimmy Wayne Henry, Markus Edward Henry, and Robert “Bobby” Wayne Henry-Schofield.
Maggie will be missed by all those who had the pleasure of knowing her and her spunky “little” attitude.
Special thank you to Heartsworth House in Vinita, Oklahoma, where Maggie resided for the past four years. They all thought of her as their own “Little Grandma Maggie,” and she always spoke of all the staff and nurses with high regard for the loving care and attention they showed to her.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, September 28, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. at Yarber Mortuary, Mountain View, Missouri, with James Duddridge officiating. Visitation will be held Wednesday, September 27, 2023, from 6-8:00 p.m. also at the funeral home. Interment will be at Mt Zion-Poe Hill Cemetery in Pomona, Missouri. Donations can be made to Heartsworth House in Vinita, Oklahoma, in her honor for a tree that will be planted in her memory.
