HENRIETTA BROCK ARMSTRONG Henrietta Armstrong was born February 20, 1931 on a farm near Portageville, Missouri, into a family with ten siblings. Her mother and father, Henry and Ada Brock, died when she was a child, and her older sisters became surrogate parents. She worked hard, but enjoyed reading, and taught herself many things by avidly reading about them. In 1948 at age 18, Henrietta married Cecil Armstrong, who had just returned from military service in Japan. They bought a small grocery store/gas station in Hayti, Missouri, and settled down. A son, Dwayne, was born in 1949, and another son, Dennis, was born in 1951. Cecil was called back into military service during the Korean War, so they sold the store and moved away from Missouri and family. After his discharge, Cecil and Henrietta arrived in California, eventually settling in Shafter. Henrietta supplemented their income by working in the fields. But after her children were in high school, she studied and graduated from Federico's Beauty College in 1967. Her shop, Henrietta's Beauty Salon, was a fixture in downtown Shafter until 2005. Her clients became her closest friends, and her shop was a welcoming haven for them. Since 2004, Henrietta had noticed that she'd occasionally forget important things, and eventually decided it would be best if she retired. She gave her car keys to her son and now walked everywhere she went, very briskly! Eventually, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, which gradually forced her to give up things she loved, like her walks, church attendance, cooking family dinners, visiting friends, gardening, and bargain shopping. She enjoyed living in her own home next to her cherished neighbors until September 2008, when her health forced her to give up that one last pleasure. Her last months were spent at Carrington of Shafter, which became home to her. Although she forgot many things, she never forgot her family, Scripture and hymns she'd memorized, or the lovely farmland by the Mississippi River. Henrietta is survived by two sisters and a brother in Missouri, and many sisters- and brother-in-law in California. She also leaves her son Dwayne, his wife Sandy, and their children Chrissie, Darren and their children Joshua and Jakob, and her granddaughter Deidra Armstrong and her son Caleb. The family wishes to thank all those friends and relatives who faithfully visited and wrote to Henrietta during her last years, and the wonderful, loving caregivers at Mercy Southwest Second Floor and Carrington of Shafter. Your final gifts to us will never be forgotten! Memorial Services will be held Thursday, April 23rd at 10 am at Valley Bible Church in Shafter, followed by graveside services at Shafter Memorial Park. A praise luncheon will be held at First Southern Baptist Church, hosted by Henrietta's long-time friends, following the services.