Durwood Henderson

Leslie Durwood Henderson died peacefully at the age of ninety on May 20, 2022 in Canyon, Tx.

Services will be at 10:00 A.M. on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 at the First Baptist Church of Canyon with Rev. Steve Olsen, pastor, officiating. Burial will follow in Memory Gardens Cemetery. Viewing will be on Monday, May 23, 2022 from 8:00 A.M. until 7:00 P.M.

Born on March 14, 1932 in Mexia, Texas, Durwood was raised by his parents Jess and Ocie Davis Henderson in Olney, Texas, graduating from Olney High School in 1949. Durwood attended Weatherford Junior College where he played football and boxed and received an Associate of Arts degree. He was drafted into the army in 1952 and served in Germany until he was honorably discharged in 1954. At that time, he enrolled at North Texas State University where he obtained a B.A. in Business Education and a MEd in Educational Administration.

Hired as an instructor at West Texas State University in 1957, Durwood enjoyed a wonderful career and friendships in academia until his retirement in 1997. He served as an Assistant Professor in Business from 1959 until he was promoted to Associate Professor of Computer Information Systems in 1968, Head of Computer Information Systems in 1970, and eventually Director of the Killgore Computer Center. He was involved in the development of the Texas Association of State Systems for Computing and Communications and served as President of the Golden Spread Data Processing Management Association.

On April 7, 1966 Durwood married Kaye Peeples and adopted her two young daughters, Tawny and Markaye, who called him "Woo-Woo" after struggling to pronounce his name. Later, his grandchildren nicknamed him "Dan-Dan". Durwood bought a house for Kaye and the girls with a large backyard, a playhouse and a dog named Duke. He loved Kaye and his daughters and the entire extended Peeples family with whom he was very close. He often went on weekends to help Kaye's father and brother work cattle on their place in Wellington. They shared Christmases and many other special family occasions together in the thirty-eight years Kaye and Durwood were married. After Kaye was diagnosed with cancer, Durwood devoted himself to her care until her death in 2003.

Following Kaye's death, Buddy and Norma Jo Price played matchmaker in bringing Durwood together with their long-time friend, Jan Lamb Minson who had also been widowed. Durwood and Jan married in December of 2004 and enjoyed traveling together in his Winnebago with the Caprock Cruisers, going on cruises, working outside, especially gardening, and attending all kinds of occasions with children and grandchildren.
Durwood, a long-time member of Kiwanis, was a past president and put out flags for the organization for many years on holidays. He was a Christian, a member of the First Baptist Church of Canyon. He sang in the choir for several years and enjoyed the fellowship of his Sunday School class, the Joyful Servants.

Durwood is survived by his wife, Jan Henderson of Canyon; daughters, Tawny Lewis of Amarillo and Markaye Rothman of Manchaca, TX; brothers-in-law, Kent Peeples of Amarillo and Lanny Peden of Flower Mound, TX; granddaughter, Tiffany Fralick of Simpsonville, South Carolina (spouse, Brad and children, Kinsler, Kolfax and Kennedy); granddaughter, Brittnye Lewis-Payne of Conifer, Colo. (spouse, Dan and children, Catherine Scout and Holden Ray); family member, Howard Lewis of Evergreen, Colo.; grandson, Joshua Rothman of Knoxville, Tenn. (spouse, Kelsy); step-son, Randall Lamb of Amarillo (spouse, Julie and children, Charlotte, George, Eleanor, Juliette and James); and step-daughter, Laurie Lamb Martin of Dallas, TX (spouse, Todd and children, Luke, Joshua and Benjamin). Durwood was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Kaye, his grandson, Justin Rothman, and his sister, Sue Peden.