Lula Jean Springer Tate-Henderson September 25,1956-February 26,2026.

There are people who simply fill a room — and then there are people who fill a world. Lula was the latter. She was funny, fierce, and unapologetically herself: a woman whose stubbornness wasn't a flaw but a force of nature, a declaration that she knew exactly who she was and what mattered. She worked hard, not out of habit, but out of love. Everything she did, she did for her family.

And what a family she built.

14 children. 55 grandchildren. 31 great-grandchildren. These are not just numbers — they are the measure of a life lived in full. Each one of those hearts carries something of Lula in them: her laugh, her grit, her way of loving without reservation. She didn't just raise a family; she started a legacy that will echo through generations long after the rest of us are gone.

Those who knew her knew that Lula's love came with her whole personality attached. She could make you laugh until your sides hurt, and she could hold her ground with a quiet, iron certainty that left no room for argument. She didn't need to raise her voice. She had the kind of presence that needed no announcement. When Lula spoke, people listened. When Lula showed up, things got done.

But beneath all that fire was a tenderness that those lucky enough to be loved by her understood completely. She showed her love not in soft words alone, but in sacrifice in long days worked, in meals made, in burdens carried without complaint, in the steadfast refusal to give up on the people she called her own.

Grief is the price of love, and the size of this loss tells us everything about the size of what she gave. There is not a single person in this family whose life was not shaped by her hands, her voice, her presence. She is woven into who we all are • into our humor, our resilience, our understanding of what it means to truly show up for each other.

Lula did not live a small life. She lived a vast, generous, full to the brim life and the world is quieter without her in it.

Gone from our sight, but never from our hearts.

Lula Jean Springer Tate-Henderson, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and sister, was called home on February 26, 2026, after 69 years of a life filled with love, family, and devotion. She was born on September 25, 1956, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she was raised and built the foundation of the remarkable woman she would become.

Lula had a natural gift for hospitality that carried her through a dedicated working life spanning restaurants, medical facilities, and hotels. Wherever she served, she brought warmth, care, and a welcoming spirit that left a lasting impression on all who crossed her path.

In her later years, Lula relocated to Dallas, Texas, and most recently made her home in Midland, Texas, where she continued to pour her love into all those around her.

Lula is survived by her devoted husband, Samuel Henderson; her 14 children, Larenzo Springer, Kashena Manuel, Deanna Springer Whitfield (Ricky Whitfield), Laresha Springer, Toccara Springer, LaMonica Springer (m. Donald Pierson), Tamara Springer, Vivian Tate, Robert Tate (m. Judy Tate), Bobbie Jean Tate-Greene (m. Vernell Greene), Jarome Tate, Acey Tate, Raymond Tate, and Carissa Tate; 8 bonus children; 55 grandchildren; and 31 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister, Linda Elmore; her brother, George Springer Jr.(Cynthia Springer); and a fleet of nieces and nephews who cherished her deeply.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Emma Lee Johnson Springer; her father, George Springer Sr.; her late husband, Bobby Earl Tate; her brothers, Leo Potain Johnson, Jesse James Springer, John Edward Johnson, and Raymond Jack Johnson; and her brother-in-law, Dennis Ray Elmore Sr.

A celebration of life service will be held on Saturday, March 14, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Scott Bluff Memorial and Cremation Center, Scenic Highway, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Family and friends are welcome to come and share in honoring her memory.

Lula Jean Springer Tate-Henderson leaves behind a legacy of love, hard work, and hospitality that will forever live in the hearts of all who knew her. She will be deeply missed and never forgotten.