Evelyn Marie Dunkley Henry

February 7, 2023

Evelyn Marie Dunkley Henry, 85, of Cantonment, FL quietly passed away Thursday night February 2, 2023. She was born in Mobile, AL May 9, 1937 to George and Thelma Dunkley.

Evelyn grew up on a farm outside Linden, AL. She was either working on the 210 acre farm, picking cotton, going to school or helping raise her 5 brothers and sisters. She would often walk to and from school and work in the family store afterwards to help her parents.

She graduated from Marengo County High School in Thomaston, AL in 1955. She went to Fairhope, AL with the intent of going to dental hygiene school. Instead, she met at church the love of her life, George Douglas Henry. They married December 24, 1956 and were happily married 40 years until his death in 1997.

Her work ethic continued in her life as a mother. She raised four kids and helped to raise multiple foster kids. Baseball team mother, band mom, colorguard mom, camp cook, cheerleader, head switch picker, or emergency nurse. No task was too much for her. She loved being a stay-at-home mom and was truly a great one.

Once her kids were older, she started working outside her home. First, she and her oldest son got their driver’s license the same day. She worked at several retail stores and she also worked at West Florida Hospital with her son in respiratory therapy. Once her husband retired, they started a business together working side by side until his death. She passed this work ethic to all four of her kids. Her children became successful entrepreneurs, special forces soldiers, Russian foreign exchange students and world travelers.

Her family pride grew as she started seeing her grandkids come into the world. She was blessed to have 12 grandkids. Her grandkids included multiple Eagle Scouts, college baseball and football players, ministry workers, teachers, medical professionals, nurses, home builders, musicians and successful company leaders. She also has at last count 20 great-grandkids but still counting.

She started her life as a shy simple Christian farm worker. Before she finished her life on this earth, she had caught her granddaughter’s wedding bouquet, traveled across the US and Alaska several times, visited several foreign countries and built a snowman in Moscow’s Red Square. There is much more to this amazing woman but she was at her core a wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She is preceded in death by her loving husband of 40 years, George Douglas Henry, and her brother, Jimmy Dunkley.

She is survived by her four children, Edwin (Susan) Henry, Douglas (Towana) Henry, Barbara Henry and Thomas Henry; twelve grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; her sisters, Francis Dunkley Crouch, Mary Jane Dunkley Goode and her brothers, Louis Dunkley and Cecil Dunkley.

Her grandchildren will be serving as pallbearers: Cody Henry, Jake Henry, Stephen Henry, Nikita Babkin, Sasha Babkin and Britt Pietrusewski.

Visitation will be Thursday, February 9, 2023, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North. Funeral service will be Friday, February 10, 2023, at 10:00am at Marcus Pointe Baptist Church. Faith Chapel Funeral Home North, 1000 South Highway 29, Cantonment, is entrusted with arrangements.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under Obituaries