Charles Alfred Henley

“If there was ever anyone ready to meet the Lord, it was Charlie.”

Charles Alfred Henley passed away after a brief hospital stay, one day short of his 96th birthday. He was born on July 19, 1930 in Palmrya, Missouri to Lee Raymond Henley and Willa Neoma Gillespie Henley. He is preceded in death by his parents, his only sibling Lee Raymond Henley, Jr., his first wife Eleanor Canady Henley (married December 13, 1951), their son Charles Mark Henley and their grandson John Paul Mark Henley.

He is survived by his second wife Marygene Rubey Hicks Henley (married September 24, 1994) and three daughters Sally (Steve) Cakouros, Molly Henley and Rachel Henley, granddaughter Kelly (Merk) McCoomb, great-granddaughter Charlie McCoomb, granddaughters Jeannie Henley, Memorie Annie Gonzalez and Mikki Barber. His surviving stepfamily includes Karen (Jeff) Edwards, Kim Edwards, D.O., Kevin (Cindy) Hicks, Jenny Hicks, Justin (Ning) Hicks, Curtis Hicks, Wende Smith, Audrey (Greg) Goodman, Fred Rule, five great-grandchildren and an extended family and more friends than can be counted.

Charlie and his father were co-owners of the Henley Trucking line from 1942 to 1981. He hauled livestock, grain and steel. For a time he drove an eighteen- wheeler and later yellow school buses. In addition to trucking, he worked on farms and bought and sold vintage goods.

He served as a deacon in two Southern Baptist churches. At the 200th anniversary celebration in his home church outside Clarksville, Charlie played the Ramsey Creek Baptist Church’s 200-year-old founder from 1816. And after Marygene and he moved to their new home, he served as a deacon at the First Baptist Church of O’Fallon.

Charlie lived out his Christian faith in many simple ways, but sometimes making a profound difference. “Marygene and Charlie welcomed us into their home with love, and I often felt like a daughter to them after my parents passed away.”

He enjoyed traveling and was stationed in San Francisco as an Army corporal during the Korean war and recently joined an Honor Flight to Washington, DC. Charlie belonged to the American Legion Post 349 in Clarksville and functioned as a Commander, Adjutant and Chaplain at various times. But as much as he enjoyed traveling and the company of others, he also was comfortable with stillness, in particular hunting morel mushrooms in the forest and Native American artifacts in plowed fields and the dry creek beds of Pike County.

Charlie was a sports enthusiast, especially cheering on the Clopton Hawk basketball teams and St. Louis Cardinal baseball. Friends and strangers alike will remember his caps and message tags cheering them onto live life to its fullest by accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior. He encouraged many to experience the abundant life that the Lord had blessed him with through his family and church.

Funeral arrangements have been made through Baue in O’Fallon. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 22, 2026 from 9:30 to 11 am at First Baptist Church of O’Fallon, 8750 Veterans Memorial Parkway 63366. Then the service will begin at 11 am. Interment will take place at about 2 pm on the same day at Greenwood Cemetery on Highway W near Clarksville.

Pastors Lee Sanders and Mike Atherton will officiate at the funeral service. Pallbearers at the cemetery will be Jason Hall, Rob Hall, Steven Hooten, Brock Mitchell, Robert Omohundro and Jeff Sterns. Honorary pallbearers will be Wayne McEwen, Frank Omohundro and John Westmoreland.

Donations may be mailed to the New Life Christian Church, 213 N. Main Street, Eolia, MO 63344 or to American Legion Post 349, 504 S. Second Street, Clarksville, MO 63336.

DIRECTIONS TO GREENWOOD CEMETERY NEAR CLARKSVILLE, MO

Charlie wanted everyone to enjoy the beauty of the landscape he drove through most every day of his first 60 years.

From I-70, drive North on Highway 79 toward Elsberry/Louisiana

North of Elsberry turn Left on CC

Then turn Right on W and drive about 15 miles to the Greenwood Cemetery on the Left.