Olive Amanda Spence Hendren, January 26, 1923 – May 23, 2021. Olive, aka Bashie, was a small but mighty force of nature, who touched the lives of so many with her business acumen, engaging smile, delightful stories, candor, epic emails, and encyclopedic knowledge of the stats of every Atlanta Braves player. Her nickname, Bashie, evolved from the original nickname Baby Sister. While she was not the youngest of her 10 siblings, she was the most petite.

Born in Crockett County, TN to the late Wilson Wade and Nelson Hess Spence, she was a graduate of Freed-Hardeman University in Tennessee. After graduation, she taught English briefly, but then realized teaching wasn't her calling. Being told she wasn't qualified for a clerical position at The E. H. Crump Insurance Company in Memphis because she couldn't take shorthand or type fast enough didn't stop her. As she left their Memphis office building, wearing a suit, hat, and gloves, she encountered Edward H. "Boss" Crump himself on the steps. He said hello and she replied with "Hello. I'm Olive. I need a job and I think you should hire me." Impressed by her candor and confidence, he hired her as a sales representative. That began her long career in the insurance industry. Following a family move to California, she continued her insurance career until she sold her company, Hendren-Welge Agency, to retire in her 70s.

When Olive was 11, she met Jack Hendren, the love of her life, at Lebanon Methodist Church. He was 13 and a family friend. Years later, they reconnected and were married in 1944. Jack was in the U.S. Navy from 1939 to 1945 and served in the Pacific during WWII's most difficult years. After the war, Jack and Olive settled in Southern California, where Jack began his career in the film industry working for Technicolor, and Olive continued in insurance. They were blessed with a daughter, Jackie, in 1947. Nine years later, Jennifer came along.

Despite being located across the country, Olive remained closely connected with her Spence family in Tennessee. Her Christian faith was her guiding light, and she was beloved by her Church of Christ family as well.

Olive was predeceased by her beloved husband Montell J. "Jack" Hendren and precious daughter Jacquelyn "Jackie" Hendren Corso (Tony). She leaves behind her daughter, Jennifer Hendren, grandchildren Gregory Corso (Tara), Andrew Corso and Lauren "Lex" Beiniks (Nick), and great-grandchildren Jack, Teddy and Adelyn Corso, and Sawyer Beiniks.

A graveside service will be held Friday, June 4, at 11 a.m. at Lebanon United Methodist Church Cemetery, 6034 Chestnut Bluff Rd, Friendship, TN 38034. Dyersburg Funeral Home and Bliley's Funeral Home–Central in Richmond, VA are in charge of the arrangements and burial. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you support organizations that benefit those with hearing and vision loss, both of which diminished Bashie's quality of life in her later years. Please consider supporting Hearing Loss Association of America or the Glaucoma Research Foundation.