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Jim G. Henderson (christened Jimmy George) was born in Alva, Oklahoma, on July 12, 1942, to O.G. Henderson and Iva (Fox) Henderson of Dacoma, Oklahoma. Jim passed away on Wednesday, February 17, 2021, at his home in Enid. When he was three weeks old the family moved to Booker, Texas, where he lived until four, at which time the family moved to Beaver, Oklahoma.
In September 1948, Jim entered Beaver Elementary School and graduated from Beaver High School in May 1960. He was active in the school athletic programs and earned "letters" in sports each of his four years in high school. He was a member of the Oklahoma State Football Championship team in 1959-60, thus becoming a Beaver Duster "football legend."
In September 1960, he began college at the University of Oklahoma. He was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity and served in several positions. While in college, he met and married Delores June "Dee" Pierson of Norman, Oklahoma, on October 23, 1963. This, incidentally, was the day following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. He graduated from OU, with honors, in January 1965 with a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree with dual majors in Finance and Economics. At graduation he accepted a position with Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, a division of AT&T. After completion of an executive training program, he was assigned a supervisory position in the Date Processing Division in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
He completed his military service in the U.S. Army while on military leave from SW Bell, serving at Fort Ord, California, and at Fort McClellan, Alabama, in 1966/1967.
On April 18, 1968, his first child, Shawna Dee, was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Also, in 1968, he was transferred to Topeka, Kansas, as Assistant District Manager of the Northern Kansas Division of SW Bell. While living in Topeka, his second child, Bradley James, was born on April 9, 1970.
In June of 1970, he was transferred to General Headquarters of Southwestern Bell Telephone in St. Louis, Missouri, where he served on the General Headquarters Data Processing staff. In July 1971, he was promoted to District Manager in the Dallas Division. At that time, he was the youngest man ever to attain the level of District Manager in the Data Processing Division of SW Bell (age 29).
Jim and Dee were divorced in 1973. He then married Bonnie Raye Ross on January 25, 1975, in a ceremony on the Island of Kauai, in the Hawaiian Islands. In April of 1976, he resigned from his position of District Manager in Dallas to accept a position of Manager of Corporate Data Processing with Champlin Petroleum Company in Enid, Oklahoma.
In 1979, he resigned from Champlin Petroleum Company to form his own business in the Real Estate sales, development, and management in Enid, Oklahoma. Property Management Company was formed in 1979 and specialized in general investment consulting in the Real Estate and oil and gas areas.
On July 30, 1980, his third child, Brady Ross was born in Enid, Oklahoma. Property Management Company was incorporated in 1982 under the name of Enid Property Management Co., Inc. (EPMC, Inc.). EPMC, Inc. provides full service real estate marketing, management, development, and investment counseling in and around the Enid, Oklahoma area.
Jim and Bonnie divorced in 1996 but remain friends to this day. On August 21, 2008, Jim and Mary (Pearson) Franklin were married in a simple courthouse ceremony in Enid, Oklahoma. Jim and Mary have worked together in their business (EMPC, Inc.) for over twenty years. Both hold Oklahoma Real Estate Broker licenses and have worked side by side to provide their customers the best service possible.
Jim has been active in several local organizations for many years. In 1993, he was elected and served as the President of the Enid Metro Association of Realtors. He was a member of the Enid Rotary Club. He served as Chairman of the Enid Metropolitan Area Planning Commission from 1993 to 2006. He was a member of the Vance Development Authority.
Jim is survived by his wife, Mary; his children, Shawna Newton (David), Bradley (Babette), and Brady (Karina); his two stepsons, Josh Franklin (Brandy) and Justin Franklin (Kari); ten grandchildren, Mallory O'Brien, Riley O'Brien, Cody Burns, Anna Henderson, Brooks Henderson, Rosalind Henderson, Liam Franklin, Elias Franklin, Blake Franklin, and Taylor Franklin; one great-grandchild, Braylin Grace.
Jim will be having a private family graveside service at DeBolt Cemetery, Arnett, Oklahoma, on Thursday, February 25, 2021. A visitation for family and friends will be held Wednesday evening from 5:00 to 7:00 at Anderson-Burris Funeral Home. Everyone attending is encouraged to wear a mask. Memorials may be made through Anderson-Burris to Hospice Circle of Love or Enid SPCA. Online condolences at www.andersonburris.com.
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