Richard David Hendricks

Richard was born in Loma Linda, California, on August 22, 1937. His family lived in Banning, CA. In the Fall of 1939, his small family moved to Northern California, where a construction boom was occurring. The beginnings of Shasta Dam were underway, and his dad was able to find work on the project.

His father left Redding and found a long-term construction job on the Albeni Falls Dam and Powerhouse project on the Pend Oreille River in Western Idaho. After a year and a half, he was able to relocate the rest of the family to Newport, Washington, a small town located just west of the Washington-Idaho border and approximately 20 miles from his work site.

Dick attended Newport High for part of grade 10 and 11. He made the school football team and had success in playing quarterback. Thus, his love of football began.

The next place of residence was Hood River, Oregon. Dick completed grade 12 at Hood River High School, where he had more success in high school boxing. He remembers with some obvious satisfaction that he defeated Ed Garbrich, a senior who had established himself as a top boxer in the school. He graduated from Hood River High School in 1955 and was chosen to be the class speaker, which was remarkable for a student who had only attended the high school for six months.

After high school, he went to work for a lumber company in The Dalles, Oregon, and had an accident where he went through the cutting machine and was lucky to be alive. He then went into the Army and was stationed in Ethiopia in 1959 with the Army Security Agency.

After his time in the Army, he worked for the Union Pacific Railroad in Yakima, Washington, and was transferred to Aberdeen, Washington, followed by a transfer to Seattle. During this time, he worked for the Chicago and North Western Railroad, the Milwaukee Road, and the Southern Railway.

Dick had three children Joetta, born in Aberdeen, Washington, then Denise and Darel, both born in Seattle.

In 1968, while working for the railroad, he returned to college and earned his degree from the University of Washington, and remained a big Husky football fan through his whole life. Dick was transferred to Southern California in 1979, where he handled intermodal sales for the Southern Railway. He then met the love of his life, Mary Lou, in 1982. They were married on October 8th, 1983. He then left Norfolk Southern (formerly Southern Railway) in 1987, and Mary Lou left her position with Zim Container Service, where she had served as assistant manager. Together, they founded Western Sunset and later acquired Cal-West Express, where they worked together for 36 years before retiring in 2023.

Mary Lou and Dick have been married 42 years in October. In addition to their daughters, they have five grandchildren – Seth, Evan and Gwendolyn Grace Williams, Jesse and David Lester.

In 2023, he was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer, and together Dick and Mary Lou fought the battle till the bitter end.

It was a true honor to be his wife. That he chose me and told me every day how much he loved me, I know he left this world loving me, and I will miss him for the rest of my life.