William L. ‘Bill’ Hendricks

William L. “Bill” Hendricks, 87, of Edwardsville, and formerly of Mounds and Centralia, died Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Mo.

He was born on Nov. 20, 1937, in Mounds, the son of Henry and Beatrice Sammons Hendricks. 

On June 9, 1956, he married Jo Varner, his cherished wife of more than 68 years, who survives him.  

He is survived by two daughters, Dianne Slattery (husband Kerry) of Mounds and Jodi Weaver (husband Wally) of Edmond, Okla.; four grandchildren, Brad Kay (wife Rebecca) of St. Peters, Mo., Christy Kay of O’Fallon, William Weaver (wife Christine)of Katy, Texas, and Sam Weaver of North Richland Hills, Texas; and six great-grandchildren.  

His devotion to family brought great purpose and joy. Relationships with each grandchild were unique and precious, and each counts it a blessing to have had his wise counsel even in their adult lives.  His example of sacrificial love and generosity is profound and lives on in all.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and his two brothers, John Hendricks and Marvin Hendricks.

He enjoyed a career of more than 30 years in telecommunications with Illinois Bell Telephone Company (now AT&T).   

His retirement years were spent largely in helping others. He worked hard, studied broadly and enjoyed the simple things in life like nurturing birds, wildlife, trees and plants and relishing the beauty of God’s creation. He began every day with prayer and studying the Bible as his compass for life.  

He was a lifelong learner in many disciplines. His home library included many well-read books about theology, biography, poetry, classic literature, steam locomotives, nature and quantum biology, among other topics.  

A cultivator of the earth and of people, he developed relationships by sharing the things he loved and studied.  He diligently kept flower and vegetable gardens, sharing the bounty with neighbors and friends while also building connections with kindness.  

His selfless pattern of generosity to others characterized all aspects of his life. He was a humble, gracious, and thankful man whose life was, above all, dedicated to serving the Lord Jesus Christ.

Visitation was held Tuesday, Nov. 26, from 4 p.m. until 6:30 p.m., with a service following at Saksa Funeral Home, 210 N. Kansas St., Edwardsville, with the Rev. Wally Weaver officiating and special music by Brad Kay.

Visitation was held Wednesday, Nov. 27, from 11 a.m. until noon at Crain Funeral Home, 420 Ullin Ave., Ullin. Interment followed at Rose Hill Cemetery, Pulaski.

To view the obituary or to leave an online condolence for the family, visit www.crainsonline.com.

Crain Funeral Home in Ullin was in charge of arrangements.