Barbara Hendrickson

1932 - 2015

Barbara Hendrickson

Mar 26, 1932 - Oct 17, 2015

Born to G. George and Lena Vellani DiNucci, Barbara was the first grandchild of two large Italian immigrant families who had settled in Columbus, Ohio. As a young adult, she attended Miami University of Ohio, earning a BA in English. While at Miami, she met and married her first husband, Gilbert Hofacker, and had two children. After a fire destroyed their home, the family moved to California and settled in Hayward. Barbara returned to school at California State University at Hayward and earned a MA in English and created one of the first Women's Studies classes at the university. Barbara was active in the Women's Rights movement for the rest of her life. Shortly after receiving her MA, she began teaching English at Ohlone College, where she was a founding faculty member. Soon after starting at Ohlone, she met her second husband, Christopher Hendrickson, on a blind date arranged by a colleague. They were married a year later. She taught for many years at Ohlone, where she made many life-long friends including members of the Art Department, who encouraged her to take art classes at the college. Later, she attended San Jose State University and earned her second MA. She became an accomplished artist, and her works appeared in art shows throughout the Bay Area. She died peacefully in October 2015 after a long bout with Alzheimer's disease. She is survived by her husband, Chris; her children Rachel Shelton and Gilbert Hofacker Jr.; four step-daughters, Elizabeth and Donna Hendrickson, Jennifer Ricci, and Jenny Welham; and seven grandchildren. She was the love of Chris's life. A celebration of her life will be held at her home in Santa Rosa on January 9, 2016 starting at 1 pm. May she rest in peace.