Carolyn JoAnn "JoAnn" Fugate Henry passed away on May 10th, 2026. JoAnn was one of four children born to Earnest and Mildred "Mike" Pease Fugate on December 24, 1936 at Pawnee Indian Hospital. JoAnn was a wonderful Christmas present to her parents. JoAnn was raised in Tulsa and was always surrounded by her siblings and extended family.

JoAnn graduated from Central High School in 1955 and started working at Southwestern Bell as a telephone operator in Tulsa. However, her career plans changed when she met a handsome service man by the name of Joe Eugene Henry. After he returned from the Korean War, they began dating and married on August 30,1957. Their lifelong love affair and adventures soon began and they had three children, inclusive of their families: Rick (Jan, Ashlee and Lindsey), Jeannie (Grayson, Bella and Brooks) and Steve (Staci, Gabby and Caroline). JoAnn loved being a stay-at-home mother and you would always catch her cheering on her three children at their sporting events. JoAnn loved being "Grandma JoAnn" to her five granddaughters, one grandson, and one great-grandson. JoAnn said that she earned the right to be called "grandma" instead of one of those "cutesy names". No one was going to tell her what name she was going to be called (believe us... we tried).

Her children remember that she was an extremely loving and easy going mom, but one who you wouldn't want to cross since she appeared to have eyes in the back of her head. JoAnn and Joe raised their children in the church, first at Eastwood Baptist and then Parkview Baptist Church, and she was so proud of her happy and successful children and grandchildren.

JoAnn and Joe loved to travel and traveled to numerous countries, when Joe was president of Ramsey Winch and Auto Crane. They loved traveling with their close friends, the late Bill Ramsey and Kay Ramsey. JoAnn and Kay had many years of laughter and shenanigans during these adventures. The foursome enjoyed going on Jeepers Jamborees across the Sierra Nevada mountains with Ramsey winches getting them over boulders. JoAnn also loved her group of friends who bowled and played Mahjong together for many years. She loved the lunches, shopping, and traveling that this group would do together. JoAnn had many talents and hobbies including being an excellent bowler scoring multiple 300 games for her team. JoAnn also prided herself on her talent for decorating and loved to add her touches to her children's homes (whether they wanted it or not). She was also stylish and a great beauty inside and out.

JoAnn loved being around her family and enjoyed going to their lake house, which was next to her parents' cabin. For many years, the extended family would enjoy many weekends together fishing, swimming, and skiing.

JoAnn was gutsy and spent seven weeks in Kazakhstan helping Jeannie's family adopt baby Bella. Her feistiness came out when the orphanage director (not a pleasant woman) yelled at JoAnn's family for talking. JoAnn told off the orphanage director in no uncertain terms, and the translator politely declined to translate, knowing the family's adoption depended on staying in the director's good graces.

Unfortunately, Joe predeceased JoAnn in death on July 13, 2024 at the age of 91. Joe was a selfless caregiver to JoAnn and showed his children the true meaning of stewardship. We would be remiss to not mention JoAnn's caregiver, Michelle Wofford Gnagy, who lovingly cared for JoAnn for almost 13 years and more recently, Clarissa Wofford, Michelle's daughter-in-law, who also assisted in the loving care of JoAnn. JoAnn's family would also like to thank the staff of the Saint Francis Comfort Care unit for their wonderfully warm attentiveness.

JoAnn was proud of the home life that she provided to her family and dearly loved her deceased brother and his wife, Johnny and Karen Fugate, her deceased sisters Amy Ernestine White and Janet Sue Jones, and her extended nieces and nephews, cousins, and aunts and uncles.

JoAnn lived a long, happy life, and leaves behind many family and friends who will continue to smile and laugh at their memories of her. May we all be lucky enough to be loved by so many.

JoAnn's Celebration of Life will take place on Friday, May 15 at 1 PM at Moore's Southlawn Chapel. With the viewing occurring on Thursday, May 14 from 5 PM to 7 PM at Moore's Southlawn Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to Alzheimer's research.