Bill Hendon

William Thomas Hendon, Jr. (Bill) of Knoxville, TN died on Wednesday, October 1, 2025. He was born in 1938, in Selma, AL and was predeceased by his parents, William and Margaret, as well as his wife of 51 years, Jeanne Bryan Hendon. He was also preceded in death by his sister, Ann Hendon Drennon (Gene, deceased), of Snellville, GA. He is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth Hendon Simon, and her husband, Quincy, of Ringgold, GA, his son, William Thomas Hendon III, his wife, Kendra, and grandchildren Nathan Thomas Hendon and Rachel Elizabeth Hendon, all of Knoxville, his sister-in-law, Candice Bryan (Joseph, deceased) of Stamford, CT, and several other cousins. Following graduation from Auburn University in 1960, Bill completed U.S. Navy Officer's Candidate School in Newport, RI. He served as an active-duty officer in the U.S. Navy for four years in numerous military assignments both in and out of the U.S. After his discharge from the Navy, he joined the FBI and served as a Special Agent for 24 years until his retirement in 1988. In the FBI, he served in upstate New York, western Pennsylvania and Honolulu, Hawaii before being transferred to Knoxville in 1980. After retirement from the FBI, Bill worked at the Y-12 Security Complex in Oak Ridge, TN until he was appointed as a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Trustee. After his retirement from the FBI, he was also employed as a contractor for over 15 years with another U.S. Government agency. Bill served on the Knox County Sheriff's Office Merit Board as a member and then later as the Chairman. Bill and his wife, Jeanne, enjoyed traveling and visiting other countries. They volunteered with HABIT and at St. Mary's Hospital. He was member of Cokesbury United Methodist Church. Bill is survived by many friends for whom he was thankful to have. A Memorial Service honoring the life of Bill will be held on Monday, October 13, 2025, at Click Funeral Home, Farragut Chapel, with visitation at 1:00 pm followed by a service at 2:00 pm, Rev. Charles Maynard officiating. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in his name to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, The Salvation Army, or a charity of your choice. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Bill Hendon, please visit our floral store.