Margaret Lois Henry

Margaret Lois Henry, 91, beloved matriarch of the James L. Henry family, passed from this life on Monday, March 14 in Oklahoma City. Margaret was born on July 21, 1930 in Enid, Oklahoma; the daughter of Hugh Ambrose Jolley and Cyral Dean Wray Jolley.

Margaret grew up and graduated from Enid High School, second in her class. She often described her life in Enid as idyllic, enjoying the freedoms of small town life in the 1930s and 1940s. She loved nothing more than to hop on a bus and head downtown to shop and see movies. Her Enid friendships were dear to her, many lasting late into life.

Margaret attended Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee where she met her cherished husband of seventy years, James Lidge Henry (Jay), of Midwest City, on a tennis court. To that union there are two daughters, Susan and Sara, and two sons, Jim and Jason. Jay and Margaret made many moves in the 1950s while Jay completed his master’s degree at Northwestern University and residency in Houston for hospital administration. The family moved on to Amarillo, El Reno and Oklahoma City where Jay was named administrator at the new Baptist Memorial Hospital in 1960. Margaret enjoyed her role as “first lady” during Jay’s 27-year tenure as administrator and eventually President/CEO at Baptist Integris, years they built enjoying the Baptist “family” of doctors and colleagues that resulted in lifelong friendships. In their spare time, Jay and Margaret loved travelling the world visiting almost every continent.

Those friendships and raising four children were central to Margaret’s attentions. She loved to entertain friends and family and was a positive force in the lives of all who knew her. The telephone was pretty much attached to her ear. Her Christian faith was steadfast and her life remarkable in her displays of civility toward everyone, whether she knew you well or not. Extremely patriotic, she was a member of DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) and was highly devoted to her chapter of the P.E.O. Sisterhood. The family regularly attended Nichols Hills Baptist Church and Quail Springs Baptist Church, and in later years Westminster Presbyterian Church became the couple’s church home.

Margaret and Jay enjoyed a special bond and an unwavering love story. They were each other’s champions over the last few years as each faced multiple health issues. She adored her grandchildren who called her “Mema,” along with two great-grandchildren who became the apple of her eye. Nothing made her happier in recent years than to gather the entire Henry clan in one location. She will be sorely missed but always a bright spot in all of the Henry hearts.

Margaret is survived by her husband, Jay, Susan and Terry Clark, Sara and Perry Kaufman, Jim and Jennifer Henry, all of Edmond and Oklahoma City, and Jason and Karen Henry, of Redondo Beach, California. She is also survived by her sister, Marilyn Kincannon, of Enid and brother-in-law, Brigadier General Ed Ellis, of Colorado Springs. Other survivors include all six beloved grandchildren and their spouses and significant others, Chad, (Candie), Jared (Angela), Bobby (Catherine), Alexx (Jake), Roxanne (Dillon) and Sam (Sophy), and two great-grandchildren, Hugo and Ellis.

A visitation for Margaret will be held Saturday, March 19, 2022 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Memorial Park Funeral Home, 13313 North Kelley, Oklahoma City, OK 73131. A funeral service will occur Sunday, March 20, 2022 at 11:00 AM at Memorial Park Funeral Home with a burial to follow at Memorial Park Cemetery.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MemorialParkOKC.com for the Henry family.