Douglas E. Hendrickson

Hendrickson, Douglas E. of Lesterville, MO, passed away at his home of complications arising from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease) on Saturday morning, May 5, 2007. He was 68 years old. He was born on October 5, 1938, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of the late Carl Edward and Lucille Hendrickson, and Anstice (Hendrickson) Nelson. He was preceded in death by his parents, and he is survived by his wife, Bonnie; son, Michael; two grandchildren, Tyler & Cole and two brothers, David and Dale. He was a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, having served from 1956 to 1958. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Master's of Fine Arts degree in 1968, and he taught at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where he was a full professor at the time of his retirement in 1983. A blacksmith by trade, Dr. Iron, as he was known, and Bonnie moved to Lesterville permanently in 1983, where Dr. Iron set up his blacksmith shop, Peola Valley Forge, which he owned and operated until he retired in 2000. His creative and artistic designs, incorporated in his blacksmith art, are known both nationally and internationally. His works are included in the Smithsonian Institute. Dr. Iron was one of the founders of the Blacksmith Association of Missouri, and in late 2005, he was asked to design a water fountain for the National Ornamental Metals Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. His critically- acclaimed fountain was erected and dedicated in 2006. In April 2007, Douglas Hendrickson was the recipient of the 2007 Robert Ross MDA Personal Achievement award for the State of Missouri. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of McSpadden Funeral Home in Lesterville. Services will be held on Saturday, May 12 at 11:00 a.m. at McSpadden Funeral Home in Lesterville. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Blacksmith Association of Missouri Scholarship Fund, c/o Bruce Herzog, 2212 Aileswick, St. Louis, MO 63129, or the National Metals Museum, 374 Metals Museum Dr., Memphis, TN 38106.
This obituary was originally published in the Star Tribune.