Thank you, Florence

November 25, 2016 marks a sad day for those of us over the age of 40. It's the day that we heard the heartbreaking news that Florence Henderson had passed away at the age of 82. Florence was an actor and singer whose career spanned 6 decades. She was known best, for two roles. The first and most significant was her portrayal of Carol Bady, on one America's all time favorite TV shows, The Brady Bunch, which ran from 1969-1974. However, she was also the spokeswoman for Wesson Oil from 1976-1996. I suppose we all remember her as the face of Wesson Oil.

Florence was born February 14, 1934, in Indiana, to two hard working, catholic parents. Her mother began teaching her to sing at the age of 2 and by age 12, she was singing locally at grocery stores. After graduating high school in 1951, from St Francis Academy, Florence headed to New York to study at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. The rest, as they say, is history.

Over her career, Florence performed in many stage productions, television shows, and various TV appearances. She was one of those Hollywood personalities that you just never really heard anything negative about. She was a class act and meant so much to those of us who grew up during the Brady Bunch era. While teaching her television children right from wrong and guiding them through their lives, she did the same for us. She taught us to never play ball in the house, that we can accomplish whatever we put our mind to, to always be truthful, and to never try to imitate someone else but always be ourselves. She was funny, witty, serious, and classy.  One of the lines I remember the best was during the episode when Peter's voice was changing. The other kids had voted on whether to keep him in their singing group, The Brady 6, or not. They were afraid he'd ruin the record that they had planned to re-cord. They asked Carol what they should do, and she said (my paraphrase), "sometimes, there are more important things than money and fame, like people." And of course the kids did the right thing and had Peter record with them, regardless of the turn out. Her advice was always solid. And from all appearances, her TV family loved her as much in real life as they seemed to on the televison screen. That says a lot about Florence, the person.

Ahhh, Florence, thank you for the laughs, the guidance, the morals, and the memories. We love you and will miss you, Mrs. Brady. Know that you left a mark on millions.


1 Thessalonians 5:18 ..in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.