James Arnold Henley

James "Jim" A. Henley passed away shortly after a visit with his family on February 8, 2023, at the age of 79, after a long, heart-breaking period of physical and mental decline inflicted on him by Alzheimer's Disease.

Jim was born Dec. 2, 1943, in Kansas City, MO. to Lester Arnold and Frances Lee (Wells) Henley. He grew up in Spring Hill, KS. graduating high school in 1961. He attended Emporia State University for a short time, before deciding that was not his path. Jim made his way to California in 1962, met his wife Molly in 1970 and never looked back. Together they had five children and nine grandchildren.

Hard work was the cornerstone of his existence. A self-made man, Jim owned and operated Chevron service stations and laundromats collectively for nearly 55 years. When he was not hard at work, he enjoyed watching (and coaching) his kids' sports and was an avid Kansas Jayhawk basketball fan (the only excuse to let his sons skip school was for March Madness). He volunteered many years for Morgan Hill Pony Baseball as a coach and equipment manager. Jim was a man of his word and someone to be counted on. He took pride in his family, putting all of his children through college was his ultimate achievement. He always made people laugh with his trademark dry-sense of humor and quick wit. Jim enjoyed the simple things, you could find him counting quarters at the top of the stairs, he was the master at a double Pepsi, took pride in breaking down paper, cardboard and tree branches to the simplest form, and had zero patience for "grab-ass" (a term he so fondly used to describe the chaos in the Henley house). He had a soft spot for animals and absolutely loved dogs. He is already and will be dearly missed by his family.

Jim is preceded in death by his son Christopher, parents L.A. & Frances Henley, brother Tom Henley and sister Judy Uzzell.

He is survived by his wife Molly, and four children - Colleen Henley Rodriguez (Rob), Kevin Henley (Christy), Kyle Henley (Stacey) and Kerri Henley Duvernay (Brad). He leaves behind nine amazing grandchildren - Zoe & Amber Rodriguez (Colleen), Mason, Hudson & Lincoln Henley (Kevin), Connor & Owen Henley (Kyle) and Caroline & Rex Duvernay (Kerri) - may his character and willingness to do the right thing always be ingrained in them.

Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend services at Lima-Campagna-Johnson Funeral Home in Morgan Hill on February 18 at 11 a.m. In lieu of usual remembrances, the family asks that you consider donating to The Alzheimer's Association whose vision is "A world without Alzheimer's and all other dementia."

Published in Morgan Hill Times · February 13, 2023