BERTHA LEE HENDERSON's Obituary
Bertha Lee Henderson was born June 4 1919 in Mansfield Louisiana to Reverend Jiles Brooks and Jessie Bell Evans-Brooks. She attended Saint Mark Baptist Church and was “Baptized” at an early age. Her church involvement allow her to display her creative talents as a singer and music group organizer. Bertha, along with many of the Brooks Sisters, would sing locally at various church functions to give expressions of gratitude to God! She was one of 14 children. The family was very poor. She would follow her mother around the kitchen which helped her learn cooking and many other life skills required for survival in tough times. Bertha attended St. Mark Elementary Church School and De Soto Parish High School. After High School Graduation, she attended Grambling State University for one year. Her orginal employment desire was to become a “Home Economics Teacher”. However the poverty experienced in the South and Bertha’s financial conditions forced her to have to quit school and help support her family. Bertha cherished the value of “Family”. As an “Enigma” too her family, she felt that it was her responsibility to set examples of perseverance, strength, dedication, love and servitude by working hard and “Giving Back”. She wanted her family to have a better life and she was determined to make this happen. She always remembered that in 1933 her family lost all of their belongings in a fire. As a result of this they moved in with her 2nd counsin AG Sudds. During that time Bertha would ride horses and mules for transportation and rode wagons to town and to church. Her strength and tenacity was many times greater than her very strong brothers! She enjoyed many fun times, debating, arguing, running, playing sports and simply loving her many siblings.Bertha moved to Arkansas and met, while working, her longest and best lifetime family friend, Laura Bell Thomas. In 1944, together they moved to California with a desire to pursue a better life. Bertha and Laura wanted to escape the injustice and poverty that was totally present in South. As two young women, Bertha and Laura worked many odd jobs until each of them located and found “Full Time Employment”. It was also during these years that Bertha joined North Oakland Baptist Church. Loving family, Bertha adviced Laura to date and marry her brother Jesse Brooks. They married and Bertha was happy! Bertha’s selfless character inspired her to serve as the “Main Guardian” for her baby sister Martharein”, during Matharein’s entire High School Years. Although only around 26 years old, Bertha cared and nutured Matharein to obtain a good education and have opportunites that were at times not afforded to her. Bertha was even comfortable offering parental discipline to her “Baby Sister”, when appropriate. Bertha maintain responsibilites regarding Matharein until her marraige to Samuel Williams. As Bertha approached her late 20’s she met and married Cliston McGlory, of Oklahoma. With a desire to only to deal with a man who could handle their money and not live the “Street Life”, Bertha ended this union quickly. However, from this union Bertha bore her precious and beautiful daughter, Christine Marie McGlory , born in 1949. Bertha moved back to California and depended on God to provide her with the resources, as she suppoted her baby girl, Christine. During the year 1952, Bertha was introduced to the “Love” of her life, Cecil P. Henderson, Sr. They married on December 18, 1953. From this marraige of close to fourty years, Bertha bore two sons. They are Cecil P. Henderson Jr. and Silvester Carl Henderson. She loss two additional children at birth. From 1952 to 1960 Bertha was an active member of Oakland’s Allen Temple Baptist Church.Bertha’s deep and passionate belief in God lead her to yearn for a physically demonstrative christian experience. She wanted her emotions to have a belief in God that was unchangeable and non negoitiable. This lead her to a new ministry relationship, that for her, became one of the greatest blessings in her life. She joined the Saint James Holiness Temple, Pastored by Reverend Curtis Daniels. It was at Saint James Holiness Temple, where Bertha met her longest church friend, Reverend Bobbie Wanzo. The teachings that she received from this denomination, placed God and “Perserverance” as her primary concens. God reshaped her thinking, her actions and her life. These Biblical teachings were mandated to her three children, her two eldest grandchilden, her life, and her daily actions. God must be the “Core” of your daily existence! Often times, ridiculed for not following the crowd, Bertha knew that God was the most important person in life. Whether one would agree or not, she trained her children and grandchildren to depend on God for “All Things”. Bertha did not allow family, friends or community to alter her deep christian faith. She would often time sing the hymn, “Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine”. Although Bertha dealt with many difficulties in her life, her emotional connection to the divine shaped her foundational belief and theory that God guidance is the ultimate in life. Bertha’s initial introduction to God was established by her loving christian parents. Her “Faith” although at times, viewed as unusual, developed a tenacity which laid the foundation of “Life Perseverance”, which are the core characteristic found in all of her children and grandchildren. Bertha never allowed her trials and tribulations to alter her commitment and dedication to her family. She would work all day on one job and travel door to door, selling clothes in the evening, to provide for her eldest grandchildren. These actions were done in Bertha’s 50’s and 60’s. Her strength was unmearsurable as well as inspirational to all those who encoutered her presence. Each of her children and grandchildren are characterized with her traits of assertion and unbelievable persistance. As God served as Bertha’s main conversation, she remained focus on him until he called her home.Bertha departed this life on August 16, 2015 at the age of 96, and was preceeded in death by her husband Cecil P. Henderson Sr, and her daughter Christine Marie McGlory, her closest family friend Laura Bell Brooks her closest Uncle and Aunt, Aaron and Ida Brooks; her brothers and sisters, Douglas Brooks, Lorenzo Brooks, Herbert Brooks, Eddie Lee Brooks, Olivia Brooks-Ware, Bessie Brooks-Buggs, Jiles Brooks Jr., Odessa M. Brooks-Brown, Jesse Brooks, Patsy L Brooks-Grayned and Odis Brooks. She leà ves to morn her Sons, Cecil P. Henderson Jr. (Emery), Silvester Carl Henderson (Cecile); her eldest grandchildren, Paula Johnson (Mark), Alphonso Williams; her remaining grandchildren, Carlena Henderson, Celisse Henderson, Charde Henderson, and Cecil Henderson III; her great grandchildren, Christian Johnson, Christina Johnson, Mark Cameron Johnson, Marissa Johnson, Alreisha Williams, Ayanna Williams, and Taisho Williams; her sister Matharein Brooks-Williams and her brother Franklin Brooks along with many relatives family and friends. Bertha Lee Henderson, was “Touched By God”!
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