Richard "Rick" Harris Hensley

Richard “Rick” Harris Hensley, age 75 years 7 months and 4 days, of the Beulah Heights community of Whitley City, Kentucky died Saturday, May 2, 2026 at his home, surrounded by his loving wife and daughters, along with several other family members and friends.

Rick was born in Winchester, KY., to the late Ernest Floyd and Opal Dedman Hensley.

In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his grandson, Alex Hensley.

Rick is survived by his loving wife of fifty-one years, Darlene Baker Hensley, his sons; Charles Richard and wife Amy Hensley of Hustonville, KY., Gabriel Alexander and wife Sandy Hensley of Willisburg, KY., daughters; Breah Dione and husband Billy Sebastian of Stanford, KY., and Desera Dawne and husband Corey Coate of Mt. Eden, KY., brothers; Ernest Floyd Hensley Jr. and wife Virginia of Stanford, KY., David Hensley and wife Lorene also of Stanford, KY., sisters; Lisa Hensley Fox and companion Gary Tucker of Marshes Siding, KY., Elizabeth Goode of Texas, grandchildren; Cody Richard Hensley, Kirsten Marie Hensley, Charley Renee Pianovski, Dalton Steele Sebastian, Morgan Grace Sebastian, Brayden Coate, Calista Brooke Coate, and three great grandchildren as well as a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and many-many friends who loved him and will miss him dearly.

Rick was of the Baptist faith, he and his wife Darlene started and co-owned their own HVAC company, Greater Air Systems of Kentucky. They also created Stampede Run Horse Camp located on their land next to the Daniel Boone National Forest. Together, they cleaned existing trails and created new ones, along with bridges and markers, making it accessible for horse back riders to camp and enjoy the forest. They continued to clean and care for the trails for many years. In their younger years, they trained and rode endurance horses. Rick enjoyed listening to country music, his favorites were Conway Twitty and George Jones, he loved singing along and changing the words to suit his mood.

Per Rick’s wishes, cremation was chosen, a Celebration of Life service is scheduled for Saturday, May 9, 2026 with Brother Ronnie Ball Shelley speaking. Visitation will be at 12:00 noon until time for service at 2:00 pm in the chapel of McCreary County Funeral Home. 

McCreary County Funeral Home is entrusted with the services for Rick Hensley.