Henry Harper Fortenberry (1915 - 2007)

Ancestors

Biography

Funeral for Henry Fortenberry, 92, of Slidell was Nov. 16 at the First United Methodist Church in Rosston with the Rev. David Dunson officiating. Burial was at Rosston Cemetery. Fortenberry died Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007, in Slidell. Born Aug. 26, 1915, near Slidell to William and Fern (Harper) Fortenberry, he graduated from Slidell High School in 1933. He attended Cooke County Junior College followed by two years at Texas A&M University before leaving to serve in World War II. He was a member of Air Service Squadron 339 for the U.S. Army, serving four years in North Africa, Italy and England, receiving four bronze stars. He was also part of the European Rodeo Circuit for the Red Cross and USO. He received his bachelor of science and master's degree in education from North Texas State College in Denton. He married Frances Robinson in 1947 and the couple had two daughters. He married Catherine Witherspoon Suddath in 1972. Fortenberry's careers included a farmer and rancher, government surveyor, school teacher and administrator with Amarillo ISD for 21 years, funeral director at Carroll Funeral Home in Gainesville, Christian Funeral Home in Decatur and Davis Funeral Home in Henrietta and he was serving as corporate president for the family-run business at the time of his death. He served on the board of directors for Texoma Area Paratransit System from 1995 until his death. He received the 50-year award from the Texas Funeral Directors Association and the Family Land Heritage Certificate of Honor for Cross Trails Ranch founded in 1858. He was preceded in death by his wife, Catherine; brothers, Orin and James; and sister, Katherine. He is survived by his daughters, Beth Tannenbaum and husband, Stephen, of Tarzana, Calif., and Claire O'Berry of Slidell; four grandchildren, Piper Riley of Santa Monica, Calif., Heather Riley of Culver City, Calif., Jacob Le Grant of West Lake Village, Calif., and Sydney Tannenbaum of Tarzana; two great-grandchildren, Riley and Zoe Newkirk, both of Santa Monica; two sisters, Ann Hancock of Slidell and Helen Holden of Encinitas, Calif.; seven nieces and nephews.^[1]

Buried in Rosston Cemetery, Rosston, Cooke Co., Texas

Sources

1. ↑ Entered by Stephanie Sanchez.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Stephanie Sanchez for starting this profile.