Ida "Jeri" Geraldine Henderson

Ida Geraldine Henderson (Jeri), age 84, died peacefully in her sleep Sunday, July 27, 2025, at Beacon Hill, in Denison, Texas. She was a most beloved wife, mom, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend to so many. Jeri was born on August 19, 1940, in Chicago, Illinois, to Elliott and Mary Sudar. A few years later, their family was made complete by the birth of her sister, Edith (Sandy). They moved to Phoenix, Arizona and that’s where she lived until she moved to California as an adult. Jeri started her lifetime career in the US Postal Service as a letter carrier in Pomona. She had two daughters, Cheryl and Dianne, when she met the love of her life, Earl Henderson. They married on July 13, 1975, and had a honeymoon in Hawaii. They didn’t bother taking the girls, but they are not bitter about it (anymore). The newly established family moved to Alta Loma soon after, and that’s where Jeri and Earl lived until 1998. Earl was an avid bowler when they met, so she gamely picked up a ball and joined him in a league. After a few years, she decided her talents lay elsewhere and retired her bowling shoes. Jeri was not made for manual labor and quickly moved on in the post office to a supervisory role. This made for lively dinner conversations (think War of the Roses), where the topic was carriers vs. supervisors. Jeri kept rising in the USPS and had a unique opportunity to live in San Mateo for 6 months and work as a Ben Franklin stamp expert. It was a magical time for her and solidified San Francisco as her favorite city. Eventually, she became the head of the bulk mail unit for southern California and worked in Santa Ana until her retirement. In 1998, Earl and Jeri packed up and moved to Durant, Oklahoma, where she lived the rest of her life. Earl’s four children all lived there, along with their mother and their children. Jeri loved being surrounded by family, especially grandchildren, and developed a special friendship with Diane, Earl’s first wife. Not one to sit still for long, Jeri got a job working for the 2000 Census and traveled all over Oklahoma for over a year talking to people. After that gig ended, she went to work again for Gamco and worked there several years until she decided it was time again to retire. Jeri had never met a stranger in her life and quickly connected with some amazing, strong, fun women. She loved to travel and so did her friends. Her favorite place she ever visited was Prague, with her friend Valerie from the post office. She spent the rest of her life traveling with friends or alone, making new friends along the way. She traveled with her bank’s travel club and with Village Travels. She had some dear friends that she loved traveling with, but she wasn’t afraid to go by herself. She didn’t stay alone for long and made some close friendships on those trips. When she found out she had cancer in June, her first reaction was, “But I have trips to Alaska and Austria coming up!” Jeri had battled breast cancer twice and beat it both times. She didn’t see pancreatic cancer as anything but a deterrent to her plans. Jeri had extended family in several states that adopted her through her friendships. Like Hugo the Abominable Snowman, Jeri would love you and hug you until you love her back. And she was so very easy to love. Jeri lived a bold, loud, happy life. She had a huge heart, and spreading love and joy were her goals. She played mahjongg and Skipbo with her friends and “exercised” at the local senior center, Ron Cross Senior Activity Center, regularly. There may have been some kind of exercise happening somewhere in the building, but it sounded like it was mostly fun, laughs, lunch, and memory making. Jeri and Earl were members of Armstrong Baptist Church and she loved her church. She was involved in their women’s ministry, helped with VBS, and had so many close friends there. She and Earl had several cats that she loved dearly. Jeri was very adept at making friends with neighborhood cats and convincing them they liked her house better. They even shared a cat with his primary home one street over. She could convince any cat that their house and her lap were the best places to be. She leaves behind Patchy, the sweetest, tiniest cat that she stole from her delightful neighbor across the street. Jeri was preceded in death by her cherished parents; her grandma, Dora, who walked on water, just ask Jeri!; her magnificent aunt, Rose; her precious grandson, Jon Kinsey; her stepson, Bill Henderson; and her special cats, Barney and Beau. Those who are left to carry on her memory are her sister, Sandy; her husband, Earl; her daughters, Cheryl Barnes and Dianne Crow; their children, Jake and Jennie Barnes and Allyson Crow; 3 stepchildren, Dawn Kinsey, Patti Amlin, and Tom Henderson; 6 more grandchildren; 12 great grandchildren; and innumerable friends. Services will be held Saturday, August 9th, at 11:00 AM at their church, Armstrong Baptist. Pastor Darel Bunch will officiate her memorial. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to their church in her name

Ida "Jeri" Geraldine Henderson

August 19, 1940 - July 27, 2025