John Hendrickson

John Hendrickson, age 80 of Early, IA, passed away surrounded by his family on Thursday, February 29, 2024, at Holstein Senior Living in Holstein, IA. John Lynn Hendrickson was born on September 13, 1943, to parents Preston and Margaret (Irwin) Hendrickson in Sac City, IA. He grew up on a farm south of Early. He attended country school through the second grade and then attended Crestland Elementary in Nemaha. John graduated from Crestland High School with the class of 1962. He then attended Buena Vista College for a while before transferring to Iowa Central Community College on a football scholarship. John was baptized and confirmed at the Methodist Church in Lake View, IA.
On August 29, 1965, John was united in marriage to Janis Charleen Huehl at the United Methodist Church in Sac City. This union was blessed with a son, Jason. Soon after, John was drafted into the United States Army. He was stationed at Fort Hood, TX, and then sent to Viet Nam. When he returned to the states, he was stationed at Fort Haliburt, MD, before being honorably discharged on August 6, 1967.
John did a lot of masonry work prior to leaving for the service and continued in that line of work once he was back home. He and Steve Pullen worked together for many years in the carpentry/masonry business. John was a perfectionist when it came to building things; always making sure the end result was top-notch. John and Jan decided to move back to the farm John was raised on when Jason was a toddler. Doing so was a major undertaking as the whole house needed renovated. So that's what was done and they remained living there until their health started to decline and the two of them moved to a care center in 2021. Jason and his wife Darcie now live there.
John farmed for most of his life. Moving back to the family farm allowed him to raise a small herd of shorthorn cattle and many sheep over the years. He enjoyed working on the farm, doing chores, and caring for the animals. John loved being outside in nature, bird watching and tending to flowers. He almost always had Jason at his side showing him the ropes of the farm, yes, even baling hay which Jason will not ever forget. He and Jason also spent a lot of time together prepping Jason's 4H calves to be shown at the county fair every summer.
Camping was something that the three of them did a lot of. They pulled their camper to California, Montana, and many other places but also enjoyed camping locally with friends. John taught Jason all he needed to know about the set up and tear down of camping; yet another fond memory Jason will always hold close to his heart. They loved traveling and visited many places over the years including trips to Branson, MO, and Eureka Springs, AR, to name a few. John also enjoyed golfing. He and Jan traveled to all but Alaska and Maine to golf as their goal was to golf in all fifty states.
We mustn't forget to mention that John was a bit of an Iowa Hawkeye fan. They were season ticket holders for nineteen years. One of those years they followed the team, not missing a single game whether it was at home or away. They almost always attended the bowl games as well.
John was a VFW Legion member and served a term as President of the Crestland School Board. He loved his community and enjoyed watching area school's sports.
John loved his family, his friends, and God's beautiful surroundings he awoke to every morning on the farm. He will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him.
Survivors include his wife, Jan Hendrickson; son Jason (Darcie) Hendrickson of Early, IA; sister Jane (Marvin) Meusburger of Spencer, IA, and Rose Mary (John) Wheeler of Kansas City, MO; many nephews, nieces, other extended family members and friends.
John was preceded in death by his parents, Preston and Margaret Hendrickson; brothers David (Nancy) Hendrickson and Dan Hendrickson; parents-in-law LaVern and Esther Huehl; and brother-in-law Jerry Huehl.