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Barbara Jean Henderson was born April 14, 1934, in Lyle, Washington, to Con Henderson and Lucile Said Henderson. At the age of 92, she passed peacefully in her sleep in her favorite place, at home in Randle, Washington, on Aug. 2, 2026.
Even though she missed a whole year of grade school with rheumatic fever, she never let it slow her down. The doctors told her mom she would probably not live past the age of 14. She proved them very wrong. She loved to paint and often gifted family members with wonderful paintings. She also loved to crochet. She made hats and crocheted blankets for family members. She took extra joy in making baby blankets that she gave to many new family members for decades.
Barb married the love of her life, Gene Morris, on Aug. 1, 1950. Barb and Gene couldn’t wait to start a family of their own, and their children meant the world to them. Together, they were blessed with four children, Dane, Kevin, Wendy and Shelli. They took them on many family road trips across the western U.S. and Canada and, on one trip, walked across the California border to Mexico. Barb loved taking photos as well, documenting as much of their travels as she could. The family took many vacations that would often include an extra kid. The Morris house was always filled with extra kids. They also let numerous kids stay with them if they needed a place to finish a school year or just needed somewhere to stay.
In 1959, they started Gene & Barb’s gas and grocery store. Together, they ran it for decades and considered the people who frequented the store friends and family. Their generosity touched many families in Glenoma and surrounding areas. If you had kids in the family, they would never go hungry if Barb and Gene had anything to do with it. Some of the fond memories include people paying their bill and receiving a quart of ice cream as a thank you. If you were a little kid, you got to go around the counter and pick out some penny candy.
In 1980, they moved to a smaller house and turned the home they had built together into Barb’s Dinner House. In the midst of that, they also witnessed the eruption of Mount St. Helens. It was a historical experience. Barb had the forethought to throw a sheet on the ground and saved a lot of ash. She also took some great photos of the volcanic clouds darkening the sky. When the dinner house closed for retirement, Barb and Gene moved back into the house they built and lived there for the rest of their lives. Barb’s son Kevin, with assistance from daughter Wendy, took great care of her during her remaining years and enabled her to stay at home. We are eternally grateful for their devotion.
Barb was also a band mom to her sons, Dane and Kevin, and the numerous friends they played rock music with in the 1960s. She and Gene took them to play for local dances and even a band competition. She was very proud of them all. She still went to listen to son Kevin play and enjoyed that until almost her last day. Ken Dean was like a son to her, and she still enjoyed seeing him toward the end of her life as he continued to play music with Kevin.
When daughter Wendy developed juvenile diabetes, Barb spent every minute she could taking her to the doctor and classes, with them both learning to manage life with the condition. She did an awesome job. She was also a Girl Scout troop leader and took the troop to camp and to swim at Black Lake for a memorable trip. Their youngest daughter, Shelli, was born after the store opened and was there “helping” Mom at the store until she started grade school. Then Barb took her to many activities in grade school, including cheerleading. She was always there for her family. As the kids got older, she attended many sporting events, mother-daughter teas, music and talent shows, and plays. She was everyone’s best cheerleader. She loved attending birthday parties to celebrate everyone she knew. She and husband Gene often hosted these events, as well as opening their house for a few weddings.
Though Barb loved painting and travel, one of her favorite roles was that of a grandparent. Barb and Gene treasured their time with the grandkids, and she loved being their Gramma Barb. They took the grandkids and some extras for day trips in the mountains and a few vacations, enjoying swimming in motel pools along with Grandpa Gene. Even as Barb aged, she was always helping care for grandkids, great-grandkids and everybody else’s kids. She loved holding and playing with babies, delighting in their laughter.
Barb and Gene loved searching for relatives back east in areas around Kentucky and Virginia. For 20 years, they took several treks to find more family. They met various cousins during these trips, some of whom she still kept in touch with through social media.
Barb made many friends in school and beyond. Her first best friend was her baby sister, Connie. They lived close to each other and spent many happy moments together. Special friends from school who became lifelong friends included Barb West and Elsie Mae Randall. Her neighbor Ruby Temple worked at the store, and she became like family and a special friend to Barb. She also enjoyed a special friendship with Billie Remund, whom she went to painting classes with, including a trip to a painting retreat. Barb and Gene were close to Gene and Ruby Jemison, as the two Genes had been childhood friends. They drove out to Aberdeen many times for visits.
Barb really enjoyed social media and connecting with people. Her numerous Facebook accounts attest to this, as she lost passwords and ended up with several accounts. Whether she knew you in person or online, if she ever said a kind word, offered prayers or condolences, she meant it sincerely. Her heart was full, but she still found room for more people and cherished them all.
Barb was preceded in death by her parents, Con Henderson and Lucile Said; husband, Gene Morris; son, Dane Morris; grandson, Aaron Huff; and siblings, Ronald (Bud) Yeager, Audrey Murphy and Connie Warner. Special in-laws she considered family who preceded her in death were Herb Morris, Wink Morris and Lois Mahanes, whom she stayed with and had lots of fun with after both of them were widowed.
Barb is survived by her children, Kevin Morris, Wendy Brady and Shelli (Rick) Auman; sister, Charlotte Ciera of Hilo, Hawaii; sisters-in-law, Beverly Perkins of Centralia and Joanne Morris of Morton, Washington; grandchildren, Venecca Pennington, Jesse Morris, Shelby Bronstrup, Jonny (Jolena) Mathis, Jenny Morris and Jeanee Morris; great-grandchildren, Ashlee, Steven, Jazmine, Jacek, Kingston and Carsten; and 10 great-great-grandchildren.
She is also survived by many, many cousins, nieces, nephews and people she considered family.
A celebration service will be held Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, at 2 p.m. at Reconciled Christian Fellowship, 130 Morris Road, Randle, Washington. Refreshments will follow the service.
Donations may be made in Barbara’s memory to the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association or American Cancer Society.
