Carol J. Hendrickson

On April 9, 2023, Carol J. (Tidemann) Hendrickson passed away at her home at Meadow Wind Assisted Living Center, eight days after her 94th birthday.

On April 1, 1929, Carol was born in Dixon, Nebraska. In the 1930's her parents moved to Worland, Wyoming to raise their family. She graduated from Worland High School in 1946.

Carol met her husband Jack while working for J.C. Penny in Worland. They were married in December 1948, and remained happily married for 67 years until Jack's death in 2016. As a result of Jack's oil field career, they lived in a variety of towns in Montana and Wyoming. Though their homes were mobile, Carol made each one perfect with a solid family foundation.

Carol and Jack lived in Big Piney from 1962 to 1970. During that time, Carol worked at Burnhams Clothing Store. She was a working mom raising her children as Jack traveled for many months of the year. Throughout her life, she respected and appreciated anyone who identified with the pressures of single parenthood.

In 1970, Jack and Carol made Casper their permanent home. Since their home no longer had wheels, Carol was able to show her true talent for setting down roots - especially in the garden. She enjoyed the summer growing season (since it was longer than a week in Casper), and filled every space she could talk Jack into tilling up with a beautiful flower garden and the largest vegetable garden they could make. Carol was an unofficial master gardener and knew the Latin names of all her plants. She spent time teaching her children about gardening, often with sage advice such as "brown side down, green side up," and "plants are like babies - they don't like wet bottoms."

Carol also enjoyed knitting, crochet, creating toothbrush rugs, reading, and most recently word puzzles. She loved collecting tea cups, gnomes, and hummingbird figurines. She enjoyed pinochle, Texas hold 'em, Nertz, and cribbage. When Jack retired they played cribbage every day at lunch.

Professional baseball and basketball were her most beloved hobbies. However, she was also a major supporter of Little League baseball in Casper. She ran the West Side Concession stands from 1972 to 1976.

Her brothers and sisters were also baseball fans and they often bet on games. Carol was loyal to the New York Yankees (because they always seemed to win), but she was an avid Colorado Rockies fan and had a talent for statistics and strategies. In our family frustration with the Colorado coaching, we would often offer Mom's phone number to the Colorado Rockies because she was a better strategist most of the time.

In the 1990's, when her grandsons became interested in basketball, she began watching professional basketball to ensure that she could have conversations with them about the teams and, as a result, quickly became a fan of the Denver Nuggets. Her passion for basketball continued even as the boys grew out of that phase.

Christmas holidays were made special by Carol's enthusiasm for hosting everyone at "Mom and Dad's". She would clean for days and bake an endless supply of sugar cookies, wine cake, slush, summer sausage, cheese logs, and cherry herring. She was a formidable party planner and loved throwing a great party - a talent she taught us all.

She abhorred her April first birthday because her four brothers teased her mercilessly. She came to hate pranks and jokes, surprise squishy cakes, and other antics.

On her 90th birthday, her family gave her the most memorable birthday of her life and one that she laughed and talked about until her passing. The family goal was to send her 90 birthday cards, but she received over 108 cards from fourteen states. She received a bundle of 24 cards so large that the postman delivered them to her door. Hendricksons and Tidemanns mailed in armloads of love. Every beloved Hendrickson in Alaska sent her a card with the most cards from one family at 12 cards, followed by a close second by Rod and Judy's family with 11. Although it was not touted as a competition, Bill Jr. has continued sending fantastic letters monthly from the CoVid lockdown to just last week, and as a result he has won by default.( It was not a competition).

True to her style of data keeping, she meticulously made a list of each card with addresses and dates to match. She then cataloged the cards and organized them as she re-read them over and over. She commented that she "Could not believe the people who sent her cards, even people I haven't met yet!" One card really summed up her way to make everyone feel like family and it said, "Aunt Carol, you are special to my family, and even though I don't know you, that makes you family to me." She was a wonderful Aunt Carol.

Carol took pride in teaching the fine art of etiquette and proper speech. She was always on the lookout for "hats off at the table" or the correct pronunciation of words.

She loved anytime that friends and family would drop by for a cup of coffee, cold Pepsi, cookies, or chocolate cake. She always had time to sit and visit with all of her nieces and nephews who stopped in to double check if they had the right opinions.

Carol is survived by her children; her daughter, Cathy Reynolds; one son, John A. Hendrickson, III (Margaret Morris); and daughter, Lisa (Tim) Hebbert who are honored to have loved her and been loved by a very unique, fearless, strong, progressive, and most generous matriarch of the family, Mom.

She is survived by five amazing grandchildren, Brittney (Sal) Hall, Nathan (Tiffany) Reynolds, Kristofer (Tamara) Hebbert, John A. "Jackson" (Amanda) Hendrickson IV, and Elizabeth Hebbert (Joe Casper). Additionally, she is survived by six dynamic great grandchildren, Tobin, Terner, Shannon, Mae, Jocelyn, and Cecelia.

She loved her numerous favorite nieces and nephews Gayle (Quint) Dawson and family, Janice (Leonard) Lehman, Ted Heckert and numerous life long friends, Jamie Brondum, Sally Zellner, Beverly (Giese) Woodcock, and Marcia Elliott and the entire Elliot family.

Carol is preceded in death by her husband Jack, their precious "guard" cat Sweety, her parents, and numerous in-laws. She is the last surviving member of her family, including her four brothers, Vorice "Frosty", Jack, Darrell, and Don, and her older sister Audrey.

Due to cemetery scheduling conflict, interment will occur prior to the Celebration of Life at Highland Cemetery at 2:00pm on Friday April 14, 2023. This will include a brief prayer service and time for reflection.

Prior to the Celebration of Life Service on Saturday April 15, Carol's family would like you to join them at Casper Senior Citizen's Center 1831 East 4th, Casper (near the cemetery) from 11:00-12:00 for a light lunch and family gathering.

Her Celebration of Life will be held 1:00, Saturday, April 15 2023 at Newcomers Funeral Home; 710 East 2nd Street, Casper.

Donations in lieu of flowers can be sent to Casper Senior Citizen's Center Central Wyoming Senior Services, attn: Rachel, 1831 East 4th, Casper, WY. 82601

Arrangements are under the direction of Newcomer Casper. To leave the family a special message, please select the "Share Memories" option.