Clara Jean Henderson

Clara Jean (McNulty) Henderson, 74, passed away on Good Friday, April 7, 2023, at Providence Hospice Place.

A funeral mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, April 29, at St. Jerome Catholic Church, 9820 Chapel Road, in Waco.

Clara Jean McNulty was born in Sandusky, Ohio, at Providence Hospital, on Easter Sunday, April 3, 1949—the middle child of nine. In her youth, she was often referred to by the nickname ‘Penny’ because of her copper-colored hair. Clara was a gifted artist and performer, and a lifelong lover and supporter of the arts. In her teenage years, she held roles in many stage productions. Her favorite roles as a teenager were starring in My Fair Lady and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. She graduated from St. Mary Central Catholic High School in Sandusky, in 1967. As an adult, Clara enjoyed being a patron of many Broadway musicals and symphony concerts.

Clara moved to Waco in 1978, and married Daniel W. Henderson on November 6, 1980. She quickly became integral to the success of the Uncle Dan’s Barbecue restaurants. She is credited with many of the recipes the restaurant still uses and is singularly responsible for inventing the famed ‘Texas Tater.’ Clara graduated magna cum laude from Baylor University in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in education. Elementary education was her passion and calling. Throughout her teaching career, she was repeatedly honored as ‘teacher of the year’ and recurrently honored by former students as an educator that was integral to their love of learning and academic success. Clara was an active member of St. Jerome’s Catholic Church in Hewitt.

Clara was preceded in death by her father, Stephen E. McNulty, in 1994; brother, Stephen G. “Skip” McNulty, in 1997; mother, Margaret McNulty, in 2004; and brother, Gregory P. McNulty, in 2020.

Clara is survived by her husband, Daniel W. Henderson, Sr.; daughter, Heather Henry; daughter, Hillary Johnson, and husband Chad Johnson; son, Daniel W. Henderson, Jr., and wife, Lauren Henderson; and five grandchildren, Jackson Henry, Margaret Henry, Whitley Johnson, Mason Henderson, and Ella Johnson; and sisters and brothers, Patricia Bruggeman, of Sandusky, Peggy Ammons, of Temperance, Michigan, Sandra Raus, of Rittman, Ohio, John McNulty, of Sandusky, Michael McNulty, of Sandusky, and Tracy Hackworth, of Elwood City, Pennsylvania.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Fuzzy Friends Animal Rescue (https://fuzzyfriendsrescue.com/donate/memorials-and-honorariums), LaVega Independent School District (https://www.lavegaisd.org/community/pirates-education-foundation/support), and Mission Waco (https://missionwaco.org/donate/).