Terry Henrion

Terry Henrion of Norman Oklahoma took her final journey to be with her Lord on June 18, 2018. She was born in Milwaukee Wisconsin on August 27th 1950 to Lois and Bob Clark. Two years after her birth her father abandoned the family and moved to California. She her mother and her sister were taken care of by the local St Vincent de Paul Society and her maternal grandparents. When she reached adulthood the mother and girls rented a farm with acreage and she started raising over 50 horses. In her teens she would break horses, train, take care of them and show them.

After graduating from high school in Franklin Wisconsin she enlisted in the Wisconsin Air National Guard as only the 2nd Woman’s Air Force member in the state. With her love for flying she was unofficially included as a flight crew member by her Guard unit even though women were not officially allowed on flight status. Travel became her hobby and she would go wherever her Guard unit would fly. At 20 years of age she had logged over 300 hours actually at the controls of the KC97 Guard tanker plane (with a qualified pilot in the other seat).

In 1975 she was released from the Guard unit and enlisted in the United States Air Force and was assigned to Guam where, during operation New Life, she assisted in processing refugees from Vietnam: her next assignment was to Maxwell AFB Personnel Office; in 1980 her next assignment was to Belgium at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe where she supported the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and his international staff. In Belgium she met the love of her life Frank Henrion; they married in 1982 and remained so for over 36 years. Frank, an Air Force Chief Master Sergeant, was her mentor and assisted her in becoming a Chief Master Sergeant very early in her career.

In 1982, after receiving an assignment to Hawaii, she was presented, on verbal orders of the SACEUR, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. In Hawaii she was assigned to the Intelligence Center Pacific where she began her transition to the intelligence community. After arriving in Hawaii she and her husband bought a simple house one block off the Eastern beach in Kailua. Between sailing, diving, golf, whale watching and traveling, their life was extremely full.

In 1986, after four years enjoying the island simple life, she volunteered for an assignment to the Pentagon in Washington D.C. where she worked for the Air Force Director of Plans and Operations. She was soon promoted out of that position and was transferred to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, then to the Defense Intelligence Agency to handle the Agencies personnel matters and was eventually selected by Air Force Lt. General Kenneth Minihan to serve in the position of Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Director. She traveled, in the Directors name, throughout the world wherever agency members were assigned, taking care of those personnel and their families. For the next two years she also served in that position for Army Lt. General Patrick Hughes who, because of her husband’s detreating health, retired her in 1998. After 26 years of active duty to end a magical career, she received the Defense Superior Service Medal presented in the name of the Secretary of Defense, a decoration most often presented to senior officers in the flag and general officer grades.

Her military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, 2 Defense Meritorious Service Medals, Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Defense Intelligence Agency Directors Award and others.

She was a life member of the Disabled American Veterans, the Air Force Association, Air Force Sergeants Association and the Non Commissioned Officers Association. While engaged in all of the previous activities she also earned an Associate’s Degree and Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Management from the University of Maryland.

Upon retirement she and her husband purchased a home in Alabama and decided to split their time between Hawaii, in summer and winter, and Alabama, in spring and fall. In retirement they traveled the world from one end to the other and many places in between. While in Hawaii and not traveling they volunteered to help, as state wide volunteer coordinators, to twice elect the first female governor of the state.

In 2013 they sold both homes and purchased a home on 20 acres in Norman Oklahoma to be with their children and their families and where they lived out their lives. She was deeply involved in her Catholic faith and her Parish family played a dominate role in her life. At St Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, she and her husband were members of the St Vincent de Paul Society, Knights of Columbus its Auxiliary and numerous ministries; 50 Plus, Bereavement, Ushers, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion and Greeters. Their parish life was full of giving and receiving. In November 2017 she was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer and as her wont to do, she fought it to the end.

Terry was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Linda and granddaughter Chloe. She is survived by her husband and children, Pamela Ludasher (USAF Major retired) and her husband Bryan, David Henrion (USAF MSgt retired) and his wife Sherri, Paul Henrion and his wife Paulanne; 8 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.

Rosary will be held at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church on June 22, 2018 at 7:00 pm. Mass of Christian funeral will be held at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, Norman Oklahoma on June 23, 2018 at 10:00 am and, at the request of her family, she be interred with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery to be joined by her husband Frank on a date he is called home.

In lieu of flowers she requested that those inclined please consider a donation to the St. Mark Church, conference of Saint Vincent de Paul Society, the organization that kept her mother, sister and her alive and gave them the opportunity to be productive members of their community’s and ministers in their faith.