Departures of note

Violet Brumley Hensley was an American luthier and old-time fiddle player from the Ozarks. Born in Mount Ida, Arkansas, she learned fiddle-making from her father and built her first fiddle at age 15, later crafting dozens more instruments over a career spanning decades. She performed old-time mountain music at the Silver Dollar City theme park in Branson, Missouri, for more than 50 years and appeared on television programs including The Beverly Hillbillies, The Art Linkletter Show, and Captain Kangaroo.

Hensley recorded several albums with family members, including Old Time Fiddle Tunes (1974), The Whittling Fiddler and Family (1983), and Family Treasures (2004). She was featured in National Geographic in 1970 and published her autobiography, Whittlin' and Fiddlin' My Own Way, in 2014. She made her Grand Ole Opry debut at age 99 and was inducted into the National Fiddler Hall of Fame at age 101.

Recognized as a living treasure of Arkansas and honored by Silver Dollar City, Hensley was celebrated for preserving Ozarks mountain music and the craft of fiddle-making. She died in Yellville, Arkansas, on August 7, 2026, at the age of 109.