James William Hendrick

James William “Bill” Hendrick, a retired Northwest Airlines Captain of Olalla, Washington, “Flew West” Thursday evening August 1, 2013. He passed away from complications of pulmonary fibrosis and heart problems, and between October 2012 and January 2013 spent over 50 days in the hospital. Bill was born on October 19, 1932 to Clare and Ruby Hendrick in Longview, Washington, attended Castle Rock High School in Longview and graduated in 1951. After graduation, Bill worked for a while logging and fighting fires in the woods for the Weyerhaeuser Corporation. A friend of Bill’s who was joining the Navy asked him for a ride to the recruiting office and Bill obliged, but when Bill and his friend arrived at the Navy’s recruiting office it was closed for lunch. The Marine recruiting office was open, and a Marine recruiter offered to let them wait in the Marine recruiting office for the Navy office to re-open. Bill became a U.S. Marine that afternoon, and the rest is history. That was day one his love affair with the U.S. Marine Corps, and it never ended. Bill completed “boot camp” at the Marine Recruit Training Depot, San Diego, California, in 1952 and expected to be assigned to an engineering school. Tests and physical exams that Bill took in boot camp showed him to be qualified for the Naval Aviation Cadet (NAVCAD) program. Bill reported to NAS Pensacola, Florida for pre-flight training after boot camp, and eighteen months later he had qualifed as a carrier pilot. He was awarded his gold Naval Aviator wings, and commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. It was one of the highlights of his flying career. After Bill left the Marine Corps 1957 he first flew for TWA, and eventually joined Northwest Airlines for his thirty plus years airline career. Bill and Martha Stone met and were married and had two children, Pam and Michael. The early years of his airline career Bill and the family traveled between different flight crew bases, before settling in the Seattle area where all still live. After he and Martha divorced, Bill moved to Olalla, on Colvos Passage in Puget Sound. He met Janice in the late 80’s and they were married. Janice says, “Bill and I spent 25 wonderful years together and I can’t imagine life without him, and I am not looking forward to it at all. Bill was an amazing man, a totally loyal friend, loving husband, great father, and a wonderful grandfather completely devoted to our seven grandchildren. He loved our home in Olalla, and we both enjoyed working on it and in the yard. We bought a home in Arizona ten years ago to get away from the rain, and Bill enjoyed playing golf with the guys and swapping lies. It was Marines against the Navy unless Air Force guys were in the group, and then it was Marines and Navy, Naval Aviators all, ganging up on the Air Force. Bill loved a story, knew many, and could tell them again and again. He served as a docent at Seattle’s Museum of Flight where he used his storytelling ability to his heart’s content. Bill also loved to shop, and Janice says she often joked that Bill had his own parking space at Costco. She says that with Bill’s passing, Costco’s revenues will be noticeably down. Their homes in Washington and Arizona are stocked with at least one of everything Costco sells. Bill was a voracious reader, and it was really hard on him near the end of his life when he could no longer see well enough to read. Audio books were just not the same to Bill.” Bill and Janice had a wonderful life together enjoying family and friends, and both their homes. They loved to find different side trips to take on their way to and from each. They traveled to the Orient, Europe, and in Alaska at Hardings Old Sourdough Lodge, but mostly their travels centered around Olalla and Gold Canyon, Arizona. It was a close knit family, and each are feeling the empty space left by Bill’s passing. Bill is survived by his wife Janice, daughter Pamela Sanford (David), son Michael (Jill), step-daughters Sara and Laura Elliott, and seven grandchildren. His sister Karen and brother Ron preceded Bill in death. Bill’s memorial service will be held August 25, 2013 at 2:00 pm at Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church. Please go to chapelhillpc.org for directions. We hope to see many old and new friends at the celebration of his life. Donations can be made to Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church PO Box 829, Gig Harbor, WA 98335. Or to http://www.caringbridge.org/