Sharlee Mack Henshaw-Kuhns

Memorial services for Sharlee Mack Henshaw-Kuhns, 79, of Owasso, OK, were held Tuesday, February 22, 2022, at Redeemer Bible Church in Owasso, OK. Reverend Stephen Plodinec officiated. Interment services will be in Denver, CO at Saint John’s Cathedral at a later date.

Sharlee was born June 4, 1942, in Tulsa, OK, to William Lee Henshaw and Charlotte Evelyn (McCain) Sikkink. She passed away February 11, 2022, in Owasso, OK.

Sharlee attended Edison High School, graduated in 1960 and maintained lifelong friendships with her classmates. Sharlee was a gifted watercolor painter and illustrator. Her favorite subjects were nature scenes, Chinese warriors, and her family. She was a Texas Parks and Wildlife painter in the 1970s after working in the Governor’s office, notably for George Bush, Sr. with whom she maintained correspondence with until his death. In the early 80’s, Sharlee moved from Austin, Texas to Denver, CO where she opened her own advertising agency, notably contributing to the design of the Master Card and Gold’s Gym logo. She began working for Mountain Bell and was transferred to Salt Lake City, Utah where she quickly rose within the company and brokered the first transcontinental business/information line to Asia. After moving to Denver, Sharlee was in Senior Management, training all of the Business Sales Associates for AT&T.

After her diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis, Sharlee and her husband, Bob Kuhns moved to Owasso in 1995. Active in the Owasso community, Sharlee taught art in private schools and senior centers, as well as tutoring within her home. She dearly loved her bridge club ferociously bidding tricks for over 25 years. She enjoyed the study of genealogy and starting in the 1970s, helped others explore their ancestral roots. She served as the National Secretary of the Mayflower Society. Sharlee loved the outdoors, including fly fishing and camping. A voracious reader, she left over 1000 books in her library and enjoyed historical fact as well as fictional novels. She was knowledgeable on many topics and fascinating to converse with in almost any topic. She loved people and created lifetime bonds with almost everyone she met. After her MS diagnosis, Sharlee fought every day to maintain her way of life and helped others in her area with support and was always available for consult and resource information. She was an advocate for organic foods and healthy lifestyle. Her contributions to MS research include being the oldest recipient of OCURUS transfusions, a groundbreaking treatment in which she was studied to advance understanding of effective treatments. Her legacy continues with her decision to donate her organs to MS research at Columbia University.

She is survived by her daughter, Lori Linzmier; son, Alexander Holcomb; and granddaughter, Airen VanDiggelen; and many other relatives and friends.

We wish her soul a blessed journey in her new form.

Memorial donations in Sharlee's memory may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society via Donor Drive at https://mssociety.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.personalCampaign&participantID=104747

Arrangements and services were entrusted to Johnson Funeral Home, Sperry.

Online condolences to the family can be made at johnsonsperry.com.