Age is just a number

Veatrice Henson simply doesn’t understand the fuss.
Why on earth has she been named the “Pillar of the Community” in Grain Valley, or been selected to sit in the prestigious Buck O’Neil Legacy Seat at Kauffman Stadium, or been named the “Volunteer of the Year” in her adopted hometown?
“I can tell you why,” said Allen Lefko, president of the Bank of Grain Valley. “She is maybe – just maybe – the most remarkable woman I’ve ever met. You can’t go to the Grain Valley Assistance Council without seeing Veatrice. She’s just wonderful.”
Steve Gildehaus, who knows a thing or two about philanthropy, thinks so much of Henson that he named a street after her in one of his Sterling National Real Estate developments.
A duplicate of the street sign – “VEATRICE LANE” – is surrounded by an array of flowers in Henson’s front yard.
“Veatrice is special,” Gildehaus said. “We’re awfully lucky to have her as a part of our community.”
And, by the way, Henson, who spends four to 10 hours a week volunteering at the Grain Valley Assistance Council, is 97 years young.
“When I found out she was 97 I couldn’t believe it,” Lefko said. “She works as hard as anyone at the council and have you seen the quilts and comforters she has made for our annual auctions? They are amazing. You have to see them up close to really appreciate the detail.”
Henson’s handiwork has raised several thousand dollars for the council, which benefits needy families in the Grain Valley community on a year-round basis.
Henson grew up in Springfield, Mo., but has lived in Grain Valley the past 20 years.
“I can barely keep up with her,” said Henson’s daughter, Helen Roller, who lives with her mother. “She tells everyone she works four hours a week as a volunteer, but a lot of those days she leaves the house around 7:30 a.m. and doesn’t get home until around 4 in the afternoon.
“If there is something that needs to be done, Mother isn’t going to leave until it is done.”
By the way, did you catch the phrase “… she leaves the house?” Henson still has a valid driver’s license.
“My goodness, yes, I still drive,” Henson said, seeming a bit perturbed at the line of questioning. “Now, I don’t drive as much as I used to, but I do still drive.”
She learned to drive her father’s 1911 Maxwell when she was 10.
“We lived in the country, and he would let me drive,” she said with a touch of pride in her voice. “I loved to drive back then and I love to drive today.”
Added Roller: “She is very independent. If it weren’t for her hearing – she has a hard time hearing people, especially in a crowded room – you could never tell her age.”
Henson has a creed she lives by. It is simple and direct.
“Live every day to the fullest,” she said, smiling. “There is no real secret to living to be 97. I believe in God and I love my family and the Lord has been very good to me.”
And Henson has been very good to Grain Valley.
“Have you seen her quilts?” asks Lefko, who always displays Henson’s latest masterpiece at his bank on Main Street. “They are unbelievable. I don’t know how she does it.”
Henson blushes at the compliment.
“There’s not a machine stitch on that quilt,” her daughter says. “She is so proud of her work, and she is so meticulous. Every stitch is by hand. You can’t really appreciate it, unless you see it up close.”
Her new “fan” design must be seen to be appreciated. The fan squares are complemented by feathery designs that must have taken hours to complete.
“People always ask me, ‘Veatrice, how long does it take you make a quilt?’ So this time, I timed myself,” Henson said. “It took four months to finish this one. Now, I didn’t work on it all four months, but from start to finish, it took four months.
Her doctors call Henson “a medical marvel.”
She is a mother, a grandmother and a Grain Valley gem.
Her mind is so sharp it could cut glass and her deep faith and love of life makes her a magnet for people in the community.
“When I get a little bit down, I just go see Veatrice,” Lefko said. “You can’t feel bad when you’re with Veatrice.”