Obituary of Theodore Arthur Hendrickson

Hendrickson, Theodore "Todd" Arthur born August 13, 1935, age 85, passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 24, 2020 in Minneapolis. Survived by his fiancée, Judith Welch; brother, Arthur "Bill" (Kathy); sister, Lucy (Greg) DesLauriers; children, Tom (Laurel), Jim (Beth Burkhart), Katie (Mike Allram) Kirk, Liz (Todd) Conrad, Kelly (Mark) Everhart, and Lori (David) Greenblat; grandchildren, Angela, Dani, Thomas, Esabella, Samantha, Maxwell, Mattea, Scott, Zachary, Dylan, Jordan, Nicole, Katelyn, Matthew, Luke, Abby, Eli, and Jake; great-grandchildren, Ella, Ainsley, Presley, Oliver, and Sullivan; many nieces, nephews, and friends. Preceded in death by his parents, Arthur and Frances Hendrickson; sons-in-law, Stanley Kirk and Graig Nelson; daughter, Anne Nelson, and previous wife, Mary Connelly. It is difficult to encapsulate a life as rich as Todd's; he was active and social, and he was happiest in the company of others. As an honor student and a graduate of DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis, Todd maintained many of those close friendships throughout his life, including attending an annual all-school reunion in Florida. He was proud to serve in the Army as a radio operator after the Korean War, from which he was honorably discharged. Todd made an honest living in a variety of jobs, starting out as a paper boy and a produce worker at the age of 10, and he worked continuously until retiring at age 70. His jobs included insurance sales, many years working with Teamsters Local 792 as a driver, beer salesman, business agent, and president, and ultimately retiring from the Department of Labor and Industry with the State of Minnesota where he developed a first of its kind computer program for the collection of worker's compensation. Todd was an avid doer often found in the garage working on a project, exploring a new hobby, or out with a neighbor repairing the "next thing." In his early years, he was a car kit builder. Starting with a block of balsa wood, he would design, carve, detail and paint model cars. This led to carpentry skills that helped him craft custom cabinets for a bathroom and hallway in his parent's home while still in high school. He enjoyed golf, fishing, and cheering on the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. Todd attained Masterpoints in bridge, and was also a voracious cribbage player who would give no quarter, happily taking your points if you failed to count correctly. Todd made the wise decision long ago to split his time between the Twin Cities in the summer and Bonita Springs, Florida in the winter. His life was guided by his Catholic faith, which was a source of strength for him, especially in the past year. Todd will be remembered for his infectious smile, adoration for his partner Judy, deep love for his family, and his care and concern for all his friends. To say he will be missed immensely is an understatement. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, a private mass will be held November 11 at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. A live stream of the service may be accessed at lourdesmpls.org/lourdes-live. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation in Todd's name to the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or cancer.org.