Willodene HenleyMcCroskey

Willodene Henley McCroskey, 88, of Greenville passed away January 22, 2013 at home surrounded by her family.  Services will be held at 2:00 PM Thursday at Coker-Mathews Funeral Home chapel with David Gibson officiating.  Interment will follow at Memoryland Memorial Park.  Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM Wednesday at the funeral home.

Born August 29, 1924 to John and Alvie Henley in Nevada County, Arkansas.  Willodene was a loving sibling of five brothers, Norman, Perry, Edgar, Aubrey, and Paul and three sisters, Claudia, Mildred, and Peggy.

Willodene enjoyed growing up in Arkansas.  She loved to play basketball, her studies at school, and the daily walks to and from the school house.  Several would walk together but one young man stood out from the group.  He owned a bicycle for his paper route business.  That young man caught Willodene’s eye and later on her heart.  They were married over sixty-seven years. Willodene Henley and Arthur Ray McCroskey were married in September of 1945 in their home state of Arkansas.  Their love and commitment to each other never faded.

Willodene and Arthur had one son, Danny Ray McCroskey.  They raised Danny in  the Baptist church and were longtime members of their hometown church.  They taught Danny to be a strong Christian son, husband, father, and man.

Willodene always put family and others before herself with nothing but love and joy in her heart.  She can be best described by Galatians 5:22 – But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Willodene’s spirit yielded all of these.

Willodene’s price and joy were her granddaughters, Macy and Dee Dee.  Her hobbies were watching the Dallas Cowboys and the Mavericks.

She is survived by her husband,  Arthur; son Danny; daughter-in-law Marcy; granddaughters Macy and Dee Dee McCroskey; one sister Peggy Lehman of Mountain Home, Arkansas; several brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, five brothers, and two sisters.

Willodene will be deeply missed.  She was a loving wife, a wonderful mother, a fabulous grandmother, and the world’s best mother-in-law.