Orla Henshaw

Mr. Orla Henshaw, age 93, passed quietly after a brief illness at 12:15 a.m. on Thursday, November 19, 2009, in Herrin, Illinois. He was born on September 14, 1916 to Freeman and Nancy (Howerton) Henshaw near Stonefort, Illinois. He married Mildred Louise (Hankins) Henshaw on September 14, 1945, and resided in Marion. Together they shared over 62 years of a happy and loving marriage. Mr. Henshaw was a member of Second Baptist Church in Marion. He was a founding member of the Marion Masonic Fellowship Lodge #89 A.F. & A.M. The Belleville Consistery 32nd Degree, and a member of the Ainad Shriners Lodge, Williamson County Shrine Club. He was the owner of Orla Henshaw Grain and Lumber, a trucking company in Marion that transported yellow pine lumber and corn throughout Illinois and several southern states. He was a gentle, hard-working, and generous man who highly valued his close-knit family. He will be missed dearly by his family and friends. Mr. Henshaw is survived by his four children, and their spouses: Nancy Barger of Marion; Rhonda Graves and her husband, Ron, of Marion; William (Cy) Henshaw and his wife, Valerie, of Marion; and Rhoda Hilliard and her husband, Jim, of Creal Springs. He also is survived by nine grandchildren: Nicole Branson of Marion; Gretchen Cudworth of Carbondale; James (Gaylen) Durham of Forest Hills, New York; Ryan Graves of Mayfield, Kentucky; Scott Graves of Marion; Chris Henshaw of Marion; Marc Henshaw of Marion; and Dustin Hilliard of Creal Springs. He is survived by six great-grandchildren: Collin Branson, Easton Branson, Katie Branson, Giana Cudworth, Eli Graves, and Kyler Henshaw. Other survivors include his sister-in-law, Gloria Henshaw of Chester, and numerous extended family members and friends. Mr. Henshaw is preceded in death by his wife and parents; his sister, Hattie Mae Pulley of Marion; and two brothers, Everett Henshaw of Marion and Raymond Henshaw of Chester. Arrangements for Mr. Henshaw have been entrusted to Mitchell-Hughes Funeral Home, 800 N. Market St., Marion, IL 62959. Visitation for family and friends will be held from noon until 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 22, 2009 at the funeral home. A service immediately will follow at 2:00 p.m. with the Rev. Bob Wagner presiding. Interment will follow at Rose Hill Cemetery in Marion. Masonic rites will be presented at 11:30 A.M. by Marion Masonic Fellowship Lodge #89 A.F. & A.M. For those who prefer memorials may be made to VNA Tip Hospice. Envelopes will be available and accepted at Mitchell-Hughes Funeral Home, 800 North Market Street, Marion, Illinois 62959.