Richard "Dick" E. Hendricks

Dick was born February 12, 1936, in rural Locust Township, Columbia County, Pa, at the home of his maternal grandparents. His parents were Paul L. Hendricks and Vera Mae Helwig Hendricks, who both predeceased him. Along with a sister and brother, Dick grew up in Catawissa, Pa. He graduated from high school there in May, 1954. Throughout his life, he was a firm believer in the superiority of a public school education, ideally in a small town.

Dick served in the United States Air Force from late June, 1954 until February, 1958, with postings as a Radio Operator and Tech School Instructor in Mississippi, Japan and Okinawa. Along with millions of other young Americans over the years, Dick benefited from the technical schools of that service, and especially from the G.I. Bill benefits afforded to him as a Veteran.

Between mid-1958 and June 1961, he attended Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pa, earning a B.A. Degree (Political Science and Economics). From mid-1961 to August 1969, Dick was employed with the U.S. Labor Department, in Washington, D.C., and Cleveland, Ohio. From September, 1965 to June, 1969, Dick also attended Cleveland-Marshall Law School (now Cleveland State University College of Law), where he earned a Juris Doctor Degree (Cum Laude). He was admitted to the practice of law, in Ohio, in 1969, with later admission to practice in the federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. While attending night law school, he wrote several book reviews, and research articles, published in the school's Law Review. He served on the Review's Editorial Board for several years, and was selected as Editor-in-Chief of the September, 1968 issue.

In September, 1969, Dick left federal service and with his family moved to Mansfield, Ohio; he worked in the private practice of law from then until December, 2013, when he retired. During this period, he also served several years as an Assistant Attorney General, State of Ohio, doing civil trial work; also, he served temporarily as Law Director, for the City of Mansfield. At various times from 1961 to his death, Dick served on several church and charitable organization boards, including the Richland County Law Library Board of Trustees, and the early local Domestic Violence Board of Trustees, where he assisted with the completion of their Personnel Manuel.

Dick enjoyed playing tennis, and racquetball at the "old Mansfield Y", vacationing with his family, including trips with his grandchildren to Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Driving vacations across this great country, on the backroads whenever possible, was high on his time well spent list.

After a lifetime of casual and intermittent curiosity about his paternal ancestors' immigration experience, Dick took on the project in 2007 (a close cousin had done extensive research on Dick's maternal family some years earlier). By early 2013, he put together, with pictures from his trip to the ancestral home village in northeast Germany, two separate books of over 500 total pages. He followed the likely family route across Germany to the Port of Hamburg, then to the Port of New York, and on to Ashland, Pa. The entire family lived in Ashland, Pa. from late 1867 until about 1878, when his great grandfather's five siblings and Mother relocated to Cook Co., Illinois.

The Illinois branches of the family knew nothing of their immigration history, of the Ashland, Pa., phase of their own earlier generations. Dick met many "cousins" from these branches of the family, and was able to fill them in on their ancestors pre-Illinois history and origins. Also his own extended family, the descendants of his immigrant great grandfather, learned, through him, what happened to the original immigrant Mother, and her other five children (Joseph, the immigrant father, died in 1869 in Ashland, Pa.). In June 2012, Dick organized a reunion luncheon with several members of the Illinois families, joining several branches of the Pennsylvania families, at a restaurant near their ancestors' original homes in Ashland, Pa. So far as is known, this was the first gathering of the Pennsylvania and Illinois families since at least 1879.

Dick considered himself to be a curious, persuadable skeptic. During his family history research, he frequently expressed his regret that he had not taken the time to discuss family history years earlier, with his Dad and family elders. At the same time, he felt he would have the opportunity in the future to tell them of his discoveries.

He is survived by daughters, Leslie Nielsen (Paul), Beth Keefer (William) and Sue Cline (Mike); grandchildren, Christopher Nielsen (Mckenzie), Kristin Cooper (Seth), Corey Bemiller, Scott Keefer, Ben Nielsen and Jessie Cline; a great granddaughter, Jocelyn Cooper; his former wife, Cheryl L. Bishop and her children, Rick and Jennifer; a sister, Janet Mae Hendricks Leiby, of Bloomsburg, Pa; and brother Larry David Hendricks, of Danville, Pa., their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Dick left this temporary abode with sincere thanks to his family and friends, for their kind and generous assistance to him in these most recent years. Special among them: the owners, employees and patrons of Mansfield Restaurant South Side.

A Gathering for family and friends will be held from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, 2016 at the Life Celebration Reception Center, 129 South Main Street, Mansfield.

Dick's remains will be returned to Locust Township, Columbia County, Pennsylvania by the family on June 19, 2016. Services will be held at the Ponduce Farms in Elysburg, Pa. as requested by him.

In lieu of flowers, friends should consider donations to local charities of their own choice.

Wappner Funeral Directors is privileged to serve the family of Richard E. (Dick) Hendricks.