Michael Glen Henderson was born on November 22, 1973. His parents, Glenn and Joyce Henderson, welcomed their son into the world early Thanksgiving morning. Officially, they had their Thanksgiving turkey. He joined his older sister, Lisa, and was welcomed by his grandparents, George and Marie Leonard of Denison, Texas and John and Faye Henderson, of Tonkawa, OK.
Michael was an active child. He did everything as fast as he could. His mother, Joyce, remembers the time that Michael, only 2 years old, climbed up a CB antenna tower and ended up on the roof. There were lots of those type of incidences to follow. Mike was destined to live life at his own speed.
Mike attended school in Tulsa. He loved playing with erector sets and Legos. He would take things apart to see how they worked. This was a precursor of how would spend his life. He liked working with his hands and fixing things. As a teen, he went bird hunting with his dad, Glenn, in western Oklahoma and Kansas. But his favorite place to go was the family home at Grand Lake. Mike loved fishing and riding his three wheeler.
Mike loved his family and he loved kids. His sister Lisa and her husband Dave had two daughters, Kaci and Amanda. He loved being around them. His niece Kaci recently recalled her Uncle Mike taking her and her friend for a ride in his truck so that they could listen to some music. Mike was very close to both of his parents. His older sister Teri recalled a conversation with Mike a couple of months ago. Mike said, "I have the best parents in the world."
Mike also loved animals. He was known to feed many of the strays around their lake home. Any and all animals were welcome. But his heart eventually belonged to a very special dog he named Ford. Mike and Ford were inseparable. Both were unique in so many ways. Ford became Mike's buddy. He and his dog Ford were at the lake during the 2011 tornado. They survived it together by locking themselves in a tiny bathroom. They had to be rescued and cut out of the building.
Mike's last couple of years were spent helping his mother care for his dad and up at the lake working on the family property. He had been restoring the property after the tornado of 2011.
Mike will be missed by so many friends and family. He is survived by his parents, Joyce and Glenn Henderson; his sister Teri (Russ) Stanford of Auburn, WA; nieces Kaci (Cody) Henson of Eufaula OK, Amanda Watkins of Bixby, OK and Alyssa Stanford of Auburn, WA; his cousins Kirk (Amanda) Henderson of Tonkawa, OK and Milea Ryan of Lenexa, KS; many great nieces and nephews; and his dear friend, Kim Honeycutt.
He is preceded in death by his sister, Lisa Watkins; his brother-in-law, Dave Watkins; his nephew, Jason Cooper; his grandparents, John and Faye Henderson and George and Marie Leonard.
Viewing will be 3:00-8:00 P.M., Friday, July 31, 2015 with family greeting friends from 4:00-6:00 P.M., Moore's Southlawn, 9350 E. 51st, Tulsa, OK. Service will be 10:00 A.M., Saturday, August 1, 2015 at Moore's Southlawn Chapel. Moore's Southlawn 918-663-2233