Evelyn Hendrickson

Evelyn Hendrickson, 94, Bismarck, N.D., passed away July 6, 2014. A family service will be held at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan on July 9, 2014. Evelyn Tillett was born on September 9, 1919, in Bathgate, N.D., the first of 10 children. As the eldest, she helped her mother care for the younger children and learned many valuable skills such as canning, cooking, baking, and sewing. A special childhood memory of Evelyn's was playing forward on the Bathgate High School basketball team with her sister Isabel and three first cousins. Her team won the state championship in 1938, the year she graduated. From there she went on to attend business school in Fargo, N.D., on a scholarship. After business school, Evelyn moved to Cavalier, N.D., and started working at the county courthouse. She met her future husband, Robert P. Hendrickson, at Bake's Café, a lunch-time gathering place for young adults. Another favorite meeting place of theirs was the Saturday night dance, complete with live bands and dance cards, in Cavalier and surrounding communities. Evelyn and Robert were married in East Grand Forks, Minn., on December 21, 1940. They were separated for a time by World War II, but made sure to keep in touch, writing letters to each other in shorthand so that no one else could read them. After the war they lived in Valley City, N.D., and Grand Forks, N.D., before settling in Bismarck in 1959. Evelyn and Robert enjoyed over 73 years of marriage, giving their family an extraordinary example of a loving relationship. Theirs was a true love story. Evelyn was first and foremost a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her family will cherish the many wonderful memories of the holiday gatherings that she hosted, especially Christmas, and the love, food, and games that were shared. Evelyn's recipes for Spritz and sugar cookies, divinity, and banana bread, among others, will live on in the younger generations. Evelyn was an avid card player; she especially loved bridge, cribbage, and canasta. She also enjoyed golfing and won the ladies championship at Apple Creek Country Club one year. She and Robert loved to travel and visited all 50 states and several foreign countries. While Evelyn pursued many interests, her family always came first and she will be greatly missed. Evelyn is survived by her daughters Becky Clair Cudworth, Bismarck; Susan Steve Wayne, Minneapolis; and Debby Walford, Glencoe, Minn.; son Bob Lynette Hendrickson, Bismarck; 11 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; sisters Isabel Johnson, Bismarck; and Lana Rich, Sparks, Nev.; and brother Alfred Tillett, Albuquerque, N.M. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert P. Hendrickson; an infant daughter Roberta Hendrickson; sisters Ruth Trottier, Donnye Mae Pizzio, and Barbara Lullo; and brothers Arthur Tillett, Jr., Bill Tillett, and James Tillett.

Evelyn Hendrickson

September 9, 1919 - July 6, 2014