Charles Robert Henry (1869 - 1956)

From conversation with Kay Lorance, daughter of Bruce Henry, son of Charles R. Henry • NOTE: Kay Lorance was born in 1934. She was 2 years old when she attended Arlesa Rice Henry’s funeral in Bandon and does not remember it. She does, however, remember September 26, 1936 seeing the Bandon fire from Powers, OR looking NW down the mountains 21 nautical miles away. • In Langlois, OR, Kay believes that CR Henry ran a dairy (or a farm/ranch). When she was 6, he got a pony for her birthday and her father Bruce, took her to CR’s farm in Langlois to get the pony. • After Arlesa died in 1936, Kay does not know when CR Henry moved up to Portland. He was obviously still in Langlois in 1942 [when Kay was 6] because she got her pony at his ranch there. • Circa 1946 CR Henry went to visit son Bruce Henry in John Day, OR and decided to go deer hunting. Bruce had a hunting license and deer tag, but CR did not. Bruce shot a deer and gave it to his dad who mounted the deer to his car and drove it back to Myrtle Point telling all his friends and family that the deer was his. They all seemed to believe him. • CR Henry was a carpenter by trade, and he did it on and off through the years when he wasn’t farming. In the mid 1950’s when Harriet (Billy) and 5th husband Brownie were remodeling their gas station/garage in Portland, Oregon, CR Henry came by and Brownie asked him to inspect the work. Much to Brownie’s surprise CR Henry in his 80’s, climbed to the top of the roof, walking along it as lithe, and confident as a young man to inspect the roof job. Brownie was so amazed that this old man could do that. (Note: CR Henry died when he was 86 years old, his mother Harriet Amelia Adams was 98 years…) • CR Henry was married 3 times. After Arlesa’s death, he married a gal named Cora [which we know from the letter from May Henry to CR in 1945], and then married a 3rd time. Both CR and 3rd wife had great grandkids. When Kay Lorance had her daughter Chatti in California, CR wrote her a letter congratulating her on having another great grandchild for him because she “one upped” the number of great grandkids that CR had over his 3rd wife. Shortly afterward, CR died. • Kay Lorance believes that CR met his 3rd wife when he was hanging out with Harriet (Billy) and Uncle Brownie in Portland. Kay thinks they might have introduced them to him, and she outlived CR. • CR Henry played the bones. When Sandra (mom) was little and she would visit CR, grandma Florence would tell CR to play the bones for her kids. Kay remembers CR would play the bones for her two brothers and they would dance while he played and kept rhythm. • Later in life, CR Henry would drift from his various children and live with them. [Presumably before he met his 3rd wife?] He would stay with Bruce and Florence for a bit until he got tired being with them and move on. Kay claims this was because he was broke financially and didn’t have a place to live. Circa 1947, he came to stay with grandma Florence and Max’s place in Mayger, Oregon. Sandra was about 2 at the time and kept getting into the rabbit hutches, exasperating the efforts of CR to keep her out. Out of frustration, he tied her to a tree to keep her out of the hutches. • CR Henry [and his 3rd wife] raised rabbits • CR Henry was always good to his grandkids [even though he tied Sandra to a tree]. He enjoyed being around them and spending time with them when he would visit • CR Henry did not drink coffee or tea, said it was bad for the health. Instead he would drink hot water with cream and sugar.