Lila Dale Hendren
November 14, 1934 ~ October 16, 2024
Born in:
Woodward, Oklahoma
Resided in:
Denver, Colorado
Lila Dale Hendren (later Pearson and Christy) was born November 14, 1934, in Woodward, Oklahoma to Dale and Dorothy Hendren. She claimed that being an Okie gave her a lifelong hatred of shoes and socks. When she was about 2 the family moved to Denver, where she was joined by four sisters: Patty, Joyce, Nancy, and Hope. Lila attended Eagleton Elementary School, Lake Junior High School and West High School. During World War II the family lived in California while her father helped build ships. She also lived in Oregon, Arizona, and Kansas during her life.
In 1951, Lila lied about her age and married Robert Pearson in Raton, New Mexico, much to her parents’ displeasure. They had three children, Dale, Mike, and Robin. Lila worked for the Denver Water Board for many years, and then worked as a legal secretary for Snell and Wilmer in Mesa, Arizona and Hall and Evans in Denver. She could type 120 words a minute (on a typewriter) and brought more than one lawyer to tears. Bob died in 1992, and in 1995 Lila married her childhood sweetheart, Coy “Dewey” Christy. They later divorced and she went back to using Hendren, saying she was going to leave the world the way she came into it.
Lila loved to cook just about anything, and made great cheesecakes. She collected salt and pepper shakers, read hundreds of cookbooks and mysteries, traveled with Bob and the kids and later with her sisters Nancy and Hope, and was active with her Red Hat group, serving as queen for quite a while, among many other things. She also loved to come home at the end of the day, put on her pajamas, and watch true crime or mystery shows. A stroke in 2014 left her unable to do many of the things she had enjoyed, but she was cared for by her family and was at home in her pajamas watching TV when the end came on October 16, 2024.
Lila was preceded in death by her parents, husband Robert Pearson, daughter Robin Pearson, ex-husband Dewey Christy, and sisters Joyce Hendren, Patricia Bowen and Nancy Hill. She is survived by daughter Dale Forsyth and son Mike Pearson, grandchildren David Forsyth, Ben Forsyth, Jennifer Forsyth and Taylor Pearson (Katie), great-grandchildren Riley Elliott-Forsyth, Olivia Ramirez, Westin Jenkin, Brynn Pearson and Sawyer Pearson, and sister Hope McNew of Maryland.
Graveside service will be Thursday, October 24, 2024, at 11 a.m. at Crown Hill Cemetery, 7777 W. 29th Ave., Wheat Ridge, CO.
Services
Graveside: October 24, 2024 11:00 am
Olinger Crown Hill Cemetery
7777 W 29th Ave
Wheat Ridge, Colorado
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