Gary Clifford Hennigh

Gary C. Hennigh, 86 year old Mooreland resident, passed away Sunday, February 11, 2024 in Vici. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, February 20, 2024 in the First Baptist Church Chapel in Woodward. Burial will follow in the Elmwood Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of the Billings Funeral Home.
Gary Clifford Hennigh was born one of five children to Clinton Clifford Hennigh and Bessie Baxter Hennigh July 29,1937 in rural Beaver County Oklahoma in a strong Christian home.
He attended his first four years at the Sunset Rural School then the family moved to the Clearlake Community where he grew up and attended Laverne Schools graduating in 1955. He was active in football, basketball and track earning athletic scholarships to Oklahoma A&M at Stillwater three semesters and transferring to Northwestern State College in Alva where he won awards in both track and football and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master's degree. Later he earned an Education Specialist's degree at the University of Wyoming in Guidance and Counseling.
He met Recia Ann Richmond at Northwestern, and they were married June 7, 1959. They were blessed with one daughter, Leah Kay, born in Kiowa, Kansas.
They spent the next 33 years working together for school districts in Kiowa, Kansas; Marion, Kansas; Colby, Kansas; and Dodge City, Kansas. He taught and coached at Kiowa and Marion then spent 29 years as Director of Guidance & Counseling with a certification as a Nationally Board Accredited School Counselor. The longest tenure was 23 years in the Colby public schools.
He always considered moving to another community as an opportunity for new challenges and for making new friends.
After retiring from education, they moved to Woodward and then finally to the family farm near Mooreland, Oklahoma.
He kept busy with various projects and enjoyed trips with friends and family for fishing, hunting and golf. He was an avid reader and writer, enjoyed photography, worked crossword puzzles, loved gardening and outdoor projects, and looked forward to travelling to visit his daughter and son-in-law, Burke Dearman in Louisiana and Florida.
He accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior at an early age and was a man of strong Faith.
He was preceded in death by his mother and father, Clinton and Bessie Hennigh, his brother Jay Hennigh, brother-in-law Melvin Coyle, and father and mother-in-law Audry and Chrystal Richmond.
He is survived by his wife Recia of the home, his brother Donald and Ginger Hennigh of Arnett; his two sisters: June Coyle of Woodward, and Gail and Don Cox of Sharon, two brothers- in- law: Albert and Faye Richmond of Sharon, and Arthur Richmond, as well as daughter Leah and Burke Dearman of Clermont, Florida.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Baptist Children's Home or the Baptist Disaster Relief Fund with the funeral home accepting the contributions.