Obituary of Olive Hendricks

Olive Hendricks, a resident of the Simla Good Samaritan Center for the past six years, passed away Thursday morning, September 16, 2010, at the age of 97. Olive Naoma (Tipton) Hendricks was born June 25, 1913 near Green Forest, Arkansas, the daughter of John Walter Tipton and Celia Delecta (Phillips) Tipton. Olive had two brothers (A.R. and Neubern) and five sisters (Ruby, May, Grace, Clarice and Ardena). The Tipton family homesteaded in eastern Colorado, and it was there that Olive met the man who would become her husband for more than 70 years – Evert Milton Hendricks. At that time, Evert was a swashbuckler cowpoke who rode saddle bronc in area rodeos when he wasn’t on long-distance cattle drives. But Olive, at the tender age of 15, had won Evert’s heart, and so the two became man and wife on November 14, 1928. Some of the local folk probably predicted the marriage would never last. But it did last – for 70 years and 9 months!! Evert and Olive Hendricks first settled on a farm south of Ramah, where Evert worked in a coal mine in addition to farming and ranching. A few years later they moved to the Orville Huston place nine miles southeast of Simla, eventually making their home seven miles southeast of Simla on the farm that is now Derald Hendricks’ place. Evert and Olive had five children: Don, Dolores (Gaddy), Derald, Ted and Judy. Evert supported the family with farming and ranching. Olive was a loving homemaker who always put her family first, but she also helped support the family financially by raising chickens and turkeys. She later became an Avon dealer, and in that role she made many, many friends. Olive was a long-time member of the Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) Church of Simla, now known as the Simla United Methodist Church. Olive was active in the church and her duties included teaching Sunday school. Some of her grandchildren were among her many students. When Evert and Olive retired from farming and ranching, they moved to Simla and started attending the Neighborhood Bible Church in Simla. Evert and Olive celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in 1998 with a celebration near the family farm where they spent so many of their years together. Olive was preceded in death by her husband, Evert, who passed away September 19, 1999, and by their daughter, Judy, who passed away September 4, 1970. Olive was preceded in death by both of her brothers, Neubern Tipton and A.R. Tipton, and four of her sisters, Ruby Shipman, Grace Weber, Clarice Shipman and May Hadduk. Also preceding Olive in death were daughters-in-law Barbara (Koehn) Hendricks (Ted’s wife) and Barbara Borgwart Moore) Hendricks (Derald’s wife). Olive is survived by one sister, Ardena Powers of Colorado Springs; one daughter, Dolores Gaddy of Simla; three sons – Don Hendricks and wife Ruth, Derald Hendricks and Ted Hendricks, all of rural Simla. Olive is also survived by 10 grandchildren – Doug Hendricks, Duane Hendricks, Rick Gaddy, Monty Gaddy, Lonny Gaddy, Robin (Hendricks) Horner, Rod Hendricks, Bob Hendricks, Kristy (Hendricks) Baumgardner and Mark Hendricks, plus 21 great grandchildren and six great-great grandchildren.