Kenneth “Kenny” Andrew Hendrickson passed away on March 22, 2024, peacefully in his home with his devoted wife of 59 years, Sandra Lee (Scheer) Hendrickson.
Kenny was born in Green Bay to Austin “Sam” and Harriet Hendrickson. He is survived by his loving children Jolie Hendrickson and Chad Kenneth (Laurie) Hendrickson and his grandchildren, Eva, Nolan and Kaya. He is also survived by his siblings Judy Spice, JoAnne (Joe) Dais and Marge (Jay) Reinke; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Carol (Mike) Fabry, Anita (Russ) Harding, Mary (Larry) Holterman, Debbie (Lupe) Oresco, John (Brenda) Scheer and Tony Cornelius; many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Bobbi Jo Hendrickson; his parents, Sam and Harriet Hendrickson; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, John and Beulah Scheer; sisters-in-law, Barbara (Ken) Van Camp and Jeanne Cornelius; brothers-in-law, Bill Scheer and Bill Spice; two nephews, Eric Cornelius and James Capelle II.
Kenny attended Preble High School and Cardboard Tech before entering the Army Reserves and working for his father in their family construction business.
Kenny and Sandy married on February 20, 1965. Sandy remembers Kenny as an intelligent, patient, kind, honest and even-tempered man who never once raised his voice to her in their 59 years together.
Sandy and Ken bought-out his father’s concrete wall contract business, and together worked hard to build the business into a successful organization centered around commitment to quality and personal service. Kenny was multi-talented and never encountered a problem he could not figure out. He belonged to the Brown County Home Builders Association and the Taxpayers Association.
Kenny valued family-time being outdoors either walking in the woods, playing tennis, skiing, biking, canoeing, fishing, and hunting. Many summer weeks were spent camping in Peninsula State Park, Shawano Lake and many other Wisconsin-area campgrounds. Kenny would set up camp for the week — making sure his family had all the provisions (including chopping all the firewood needed) and would then leave to work returning on the weekends to join in the fun with a well-deserved Brandy Old Fashion Sweet and a rousing card game! He and Sandy bowled in a league together and one night Kenny achieved a 300 pin game.
Many Saturdays Kenny would gather the children and vacate the house giving Sandy some reprieve. These were special times for both Jolie and Chad as Kenny would buy them treats and take them to local woodland areas to play. As they got older these Saturdays became learning lessons in responsibility and life.
Cars were very important to Kenny. He maintained and raced a 59 Corvette as well as a GTO Tri-power, with his family as his pit crew! He was a proud member of the Corvette Club. Kenny was meticulous with his cars making sure they were perfectly cleaned and purring like a content jaguar.
Kenny fulfilled a lifelong dream when he built a magnificent house showcasing all his skills and providing a beautiful place to continue to care for his family. He worked alongside Sandy, Chad and Sam for over a year to complete his magnum opus, drawing up all of the plans, designing and finally building. It was a refuge for him and Sandy as it encompassed all they loved, including a fully- wooded lot that brought all the forest creatures to their door. He enjoyed feeding the birds and taking care of God’s creations, both fowl and fauna. His yard was well maintained and he enjoyed caring for his gorgeous flowers.
As their children left the nest, Kenny and Sandy retired and proceeded to take advantage of the fruits of their labor by traveling all over our great country. They especially enjoyed the National Parks along with the Canadian Rockies and the Pacific Northwest. One of their favorite pastimes while driving through those wondrous areas was to search for deer, moose, buffalo, elk, eagles, bear, and many other native animals. Kenny particularly liked planning these outings and would spend a great deal of time gathering travel books, maps and printing articles from the library that related to their upcoming trip.
Toward the end of his life, Kenny found pleasure in long drives up the coast of the lake, often ending up at a local diner for a bowl of soup and some conversation with the owner. He found solace in the simple things and slowed to a pace that rewarded him for his years of hard work. He went out on his own terms, as expected, quietly, peacefully, and exactly where he wanted to be. He will be forever loved and missed.
Visitation will be held from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Friday, April 5th at Proko-Wall Funeral Home, 1630 E. Mason St. and from 9:00 to 11:20 a.m. on Saturday, April 6th at Spring Lake Church Bellevue Campus, 2240 Klondike Road. Funeral Services will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 6th at the church.
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to The Wildlife Sanctuary, one of Kenny’s favorite places.
Jeane Smits is serving the family.