Glenna Marie Henderson was born September 20, 1928, in Chicago to Amanda (Qualley) and Hans Houkom. She grew up in the Horace, ND, area and then moved to Fargo to attend Fargo High School. She loved high school and was the class poet for her class of 1946. She married David Henderson in December of 1947 and moved to rural Tower City to farm. They had five sons and one daughter.
For years, columnist Tammy Swift had viewed herself as the innocent and golden-haired mascot of the Family Swift. That is, until she discovered an old letter that suggested otherwise .