Velda Joyce "Joy" Hensley

Velda Joyce ‘Joy’ Laster Hensley, age 94, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma passed away peacefully on Wednesday evening, July 23, 2026, after a very brief struggle with cancer. She was born November 5, 1931, in Moodys, Oklahoma to James Enoch Laster and Gladys (Douglas) Laster.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, Robert Donald Hensley; her brothers George, Vernon, Bill and James Jr.; her sisters Verdell, Violet, Marie and Robbie Lee, and her beloved daughter, Connie Denise.

Joyce graduated from Tahlequah High School and attended Northeastern State College before her husband joined the United States Air Force, whose service carried the young family from Texas to Colorado, Taiwan, Arizona and to Hawaii - a place she continued to love for the rest of her life. She loved traveling and, most of all, spending time with her family. She was the truest kind of grandmother. Her table was always set with board games, crayons, and something good to eat, and her door was always open. She was adored by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who will remember her home as the happiest place of their childhoods - and her as the best grandma in the world.

Left to cherish her memory are her son, Mike Hensley of Tahlequah; her daughters, Christina (Hensley) Culver and spouse David of Tulsa, and Catherine (Hensley) Wilson and spouse Mick of Tulsa; and sister, Carolyn Gower and spouse Raymond of Moodys Oklahoma. She left 11 grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.