Lani Henderson, loving wife to her husband, H.O., proud mother to five children, and beloved Grandma and "Oma" to her ten grandchildren, passed away on October 9, 2021 at age 78.
Lani was born June 29, 1943 in Austin, Texas. She graduated Class of 1961 from Jacksonville High School and attended Jacksonville State University, both in Jacksonville, Alabama. With a degree in Chemistry, Lani began a more than 30-year teaching career in Chemistry and other sciences that started in Alabama and continued in Houston, Texas and Aberdeen, Scotland, and finished her last 18 years at Tomball High School in Tomball, Texas in 2010.
Lani was an avid reader and lifelong teacher and enjoyed spending time with her friends and loved ones. The family gatherings grew each year with a steady arrival of grandkids, many years two at a time, who are not only cousins but friends with one another. She was pleased to see the closeness of her growing family.
If you knew Lani, you know how proud she was of her children and how dedicated she was to raising them. She lost her husband days after her oldest son graduated from high school. She remained strong and committed to their raising and all five children graduated from college and have successful careers in the oil and gas industry, medical field, and computer sciences.
After Lani finished her teaching career, it was often said that she was busier retired than when she was working. She was in Beta Sigma Phi sorority, played bridge, and was a member of Lakewood United Methodist Church for more than 35 years. Lani never retired from teaching as she took every opportunity to teach a lesson whether it was science or art to her grandchildren or chemistry to her friends' children making a quick trip home from college for Lani to tutor. Lani had a passion for art, theater and music and enjoyed special outings with her children and grandchildren to share this with them. She loved watching sports whether it was football, basketball, baseball, the Olympics, or her grandchildren playing sports. She made treks to the fields or gyms just as she did with her five children.
Lani had a vast network of friends from ones she had from childhood or had met living in Scotland, to those she met in sorority or church, and throughout her teaching career. She enjoyed her social gatherings with friends, often at her house as she loved decorating for each season and shared many special moments with them.
Lani is survived by her brother Bruce Mainland and his wife Margaret, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; her five children; son Cory Henderson and his wife Celisa, of Houston, Texas; daughter Holly Schmaltz and her husband Benton, of Katy, Texas; son Chad Henderson and his wife Kristen, of Houston, Texas; daughter Amy Henderson, of Houston, Texas; daughter Ashley Troutman and her husband Gerad, of Lubbock, Texas; and grandchildren Adilyn, Kacy, and Brooke Henderson; Callie and Connor Schmaltz; Hannah and Callan Henderson; Cash, Colt, and Clay Troutman; and beloved dogs Rosie and Daisy.
She is preceded in death by her father and mother, Gordon and Rosemary Mainland, and husband H.O. Henderson.
The viewing will be held on Friday, October 15th, from 5-8pm at Klein Funeral Home located at 1400 W. Main Street, Tomball, Texas 77375.
A service will be held on Saturday, October 16th, at 2pm at Klein Funeral Home
1400 W. Main Street in Tomball. Graveside burial service to immediately follow at Klein Memorial Park 32539 State Highway 249, Pinehurst, Texas 77362.
Memorial contributions can be made to one of the two organizations: Dachshund Rescue of Houston
https://www.droh.org/
or Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance
https://ocrahope.org
