Eugenia Griffith Hendrix

Eugenia Griffith Hendrix Eugenia Griffith Hendrix, 61, known as "Genie" to the many who loved her, passed away May 26th in Dripping Springs, TX. An able, gentle, nurturing, and humble person with a gift for listening and a calm and rational nature, she was an ideal mother and grandmother, a loving wife, a gracious hostess, and a steadfast friend. Genie was born in Temple, TX on August 14, 1948 to Philip Love Griffith and Eugenia King Griffith. She spent much of her childhood in Orlando, FL, but returned to Temple for her senior year of high school. There, a wonderful group of girls welcomed her, and Genie held them among her closest friends ever since. Upon graduation from Temple High, she attended Florida State University for two years, then transferred to the University of Texas, Austin, where she earned a B.S. in home economics in 1970. While at UT, Genie met Gary Grant Hendrix, whom she married on November 4, 1972. Gary and Genie were active members of UT's Baptist Student Union and of University Baptist Church. Upon Gary's completion of graduate school, the couple moved to Menlo Park, CA and grew into a family with one daughter and two sons. They were members of First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto, where they met many friends who continued to keep Genie in their prayers throughout her recent illness. Although Genie enjoyed California and the wonderful neighbors on the block where the family lived, she longed for Texas, and the couple decided to return to Austin in 1991 to give their children the advantages of a Texas upbringing. Genie took pride in her Texas heritage. Her great, great, great uncle was a surveyor for Austin's first and second colonies, and her great, great grandparents settled in Austin's second colony. Another relative, Hamilton White, was a notorious Texas stage and train robber, and another great, great uncle married the Babe of the Alamo. Genie placed a jar of dirt from her mother's Temple garden under the bed where she gave birth in California so that her children could be born over Texas soil. She took immense joy in sharing the beauty of the couple's ranch on the Pedernales River with friends and family, especially those from out of state who envisioned Texas a vast desert. Genie made good use of her degree in home economics. Her cooking, especially her baking, delighted many an eye, nose and palate. She loved to sew, crafting clothes and Halloween outfits for the children, and costumes for plays and musicals at church and school. As other women sought identity and fulfillment through careers, Genie was a strong advocate for stay-at-home moms for families able to live without a mother's income. A devoted Christian, Genie had been a member of Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church since 1992. Throughout her life, and especially during her long battle with ovarian cancer, she experienced an ever-present feeling of blessing, well expressed by the words of the old hymn: "Now thank we all our God/ who from our mothers' arms/ has blessed us on our way/ with countless gifts of love/ and still is ours today." Genie wished to convey her thanks to the local medical community, especially to Drs. Ellen Smith and John Mangioni and their staffs, and to those at MD Anderson in Houston, whose clinical trials significantly extended her life. Genie was preceded in death by her parents. Left to cherish wonderful memories are her husband Gary; daughter Gwendolyn Hendrix Meraz, her husband Jody, and their son Henry of Houston; son Philip Grant Hendrix and his wife Sara of Vicksburg, MS; son Elliott Griffith Hendrix and his wife Caroline of Dripping Springs; brother Richard King Griffith and his wife Marilyn of Lookout Mountain, GA; and a host of dear cousins, nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, May 29th. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to ovarian cancer research at MDAnderson.org.