Norma Louise Henderson

Norma Louise (Faulk) Henderson, 96, entered her heavenly rest Monday, October 6th at her home near Maple Hill, Kansas. She was born September 2, 1929 near Emporia, Kansas. She was the third child, second daughter of Charley Allen and Alpha Irena “Irene A.” (Hestand) Faulk. Norma Lou, as she was called by family and friends, moved several times around rural Northeast Kansas during her growing-up years. It was the Great Depression and her father had to move where he could find work.

She attended Highland Park Central Elementary School in Topeka; Tecumseh School, Shawnee County Dist. No. 7; Ozawkie School, Jefferson County Dist. No. 28; Hays School, Jefferson County Dist. No. 88; Gregory school in North Osage County, and completed 8th Grade at Liberty School, Shawnee County Dist. No. 90. She attended one year of high school at the old Washburn High School in Topeka, but spent most of her high school years at Auburn Rural High School in Auburn, Kansas where she graduated with the class of 1947.

Her family did not regularly attend church when she was a child, but Norma would sometimes walk to church in Ozawkie with a neighbor girl, and she came to faith in her Lord Jesus Christ at a young age.

Norma was united in marriage with her high school sweetheart, Floyd Edwin Henderson, on May 2, 1948 at the Auburn Presbyterian Church. After their marriage, Norma and Floyd lived for five years on a farm on Wanamaker Road south of Topeka and then purchased a farm north of Dover in rural Wabaunsee County where they lived together for nearly 65 years. Norma and Floyd were married for just over 70 years.

Norma attended Clark’s Business School after high school and returned to Clark’s for a refresher course in the 1960s. She was a certified comptometer operator. She worked for Beatrice Foods in Topeka from 1965 to 1966 and then got a job with the State of Kansas in the Department of Human Resources (later renamed the Department of Labor) for 26 years, retiring in 1992.

Norma dearly loved being a farmer’s wife and experiencing “good, clean, country living.” She loved children and was very adamant that little ones should be sung to and taught Scripture, poems, and nursery rhymes. She was not musically talented herself, but she loved music and, in addition to listening to her favorite musical artist, Charley Pride, she loved hearing Floyd sing and play the trumpet and always enjoyed hearing musical numbers performed by her children and grandchildren. She also loved reading books by her favorite authors Louis L'Amour and Janette Oke, and watching Western TV shows and movies. Never having money as a child to go to the movies, Norma enjoyed a second childhood during retirement as she accumulated an extensive collection of Shirley Temple movies that she loved to share with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She is survived by a daughter Mary Lou [Arlyn “Frog”] May of rural Auburn; two sons, Lee Edwin “Joker” [Brenda] Henderson of Salina, and Eric Alan [Vicki] Henderson of Topeka; eight grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, twenty-two great-grandchildren, six step great-grandchildren and one step great-great grandchild.

Norma was preceded in death by her husband, Floyd Edwin Henderson; her parents, Charley and Irene Faulk; her siblings, Ella Marie (Faulk) Hendrix, Charley Jr. “Bud” Faulk, Ruth Ann “Fanny” (Faulk) Akard Clay Zimmerman, Naomi Lee “Toni” (Faulk) Adams, Carl Kenneth Faulk, and William Daniel “Bill” Faulk; one granddaughter, Raychel Ruth (Henderson) Bennett Smith George and one great-grandson, Andrew Manning May who was still-born.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, October 10th at the Dover Federated Church. Burial will follow services at the Auburn Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Topeka Rescue Mission.

“And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

The family will receive friends Thursday evening at the Dover Federated Church from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Funeral arrangements in charge of Piper Funeral Home, St. Marys.