Dr. Roger Vik Hendrickson

1932 - 2016

Dr. Roger Vik
Hendrickson
4/10/1932-2/17/2016

Dr. Roger Vik Hendrickson passed away peacefully at home in Lake of the Pines on Wednesday, February 17, with family and special friends beside him, exactly as he hoped it would be when the time came.
Born in the tiny town of Lime Springs, Iowa, on April 10, 1932, middle child of Abner and Olivia Hendrickson, he would have been 84 years of age in a few weeks. It was a long, rich and full life.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Patricia Anne (Thomas) Hendrickson, his son and daughter-in-law Mitch and Sarah Hendrickson of Nevada City, grandsons Caspar and Duncan, and sister Carmen Evans of Surprise, Arizona. Preceding him in death were a son Vik Thomas Hendrickson and his sister Sandra Hendrickson Gryting.
He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Iowa in 1954 and in 1958 from the University of Iowa School of Medicine, where he was awarded the prestigious Roy A. Carter scholarship. Internship at Southern Pacific Hospital in San Francisco brought him to California. He became a captain in the U. S. Army and served as the company physician for Eighth Army Headquarters Company in Bad Kreuznach, Germany. His original plan to specialize in radiology at Stanford upon return from Europe changed when the opportunity arose to practice family medicine in Yosemite National Park, and he made the life-altering commitment to an extremely exciting practice of general medicine in one of the most beautiful places on earth and a lifestyle of active outdoor living. For the next 20 years he treated patients - both park visitors who often required emergency medical treatment and a village population of park employee families with total healthcare needs to be fulfilled. From delivering babies to removing appendices, he handled every aspect of medical care needed by a community many miles from population centers.
He developed type 1 diabetes in his early 40's but continued to practice in Yosemite for many years until the rigors of this essentially emergency medicine situation, combined with approaching retirement age, dictated a move from the park. After much research, he chose the Placer/Nevada County area for its proximity to "everything" and the ability to continue his active outdoor pursuits. He joined the staff at Auburn Faith Hospital and established a solo practice in the little red schoolhouse at Higgins Corner, where once again he provided a broad spectrum of care. For several years he was the only doctor in the area. Until his death, it was not uncommon for him to be greeted by a former patient recalling house calls made on a bicycle or something like "Dr. Hendrickson, Thank you. You patched me up after I fell off my horse!" He eventually joined Sutter Medical Group, where he was honored with the 1996 "Heroes in Healthcare" award before retiring in 1997.
Throughout all the years dedicated to concerned and caring medicine, he also vigorously pursued multiple other interests and activities. Among his passions were his family, many athletic and outdoor activities -- including Alpine and Nordic skiing, biking, backcountry camping and hiking, fishing, boating, and swimming - and music in the form of Dixieland jazz, concerts, festivals, and musical theater. He skied and rode his bike beyond his eightieth birthday!
As was his desire, no services are planned. In the meantime, old friends might share a loving toast when they come together and think of him.