Rex E. Hendrickson

Rex E. Hendrickson, 76, of Victor died Saturday morning October 27, 2012. He was born in Hamilton on April 17, 1936 to Maxine Cunningham and Donald Hendrickson, and raised by his grandparents Claude Henry Cunningham and Florence Faye Johnson. He graduated from Hamilton High School in 1955 and then enlisted in the Marine Corp where he served in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. He returned to the Bitterroot in 1958 where he met and married his wife, Carla Gayle Thompson of Darby, on January 16, 1959. For the next three years, he worked for the Mountain Bell Company installing telephone lines in eastern Montana. They returned to the valley in 1962, where they ranched in Corvallis and Victor. They operated the Bitterroot Livestock Market in Hamilton from 1972 until 1980 after which Rex became an independent livestock dealer. He continued to ranch near Woodside until his death. He was a true cowboy who loved his life in western Montana. He was an avid supporter of 4H serving as the auctioneer at the Ravalli County Fair for a number of years. His wife Carla died in 2006. He is survived by daughters, Leslie and husband Patrick Hughes of Denver, Laurie and husband Robert Stein of Seattle; son, Daen and wife Mariko of Apache Junction, Arizona; and eight grandchildren.
A memorial will be held Saturday, November 3 from 1:00 to 5:00 pm at the Woodside Grange Hall with a potluck reception to follow. The family suggests memorials be made to the American Diabetes Association. Condolences may be left for the family at www.dalyleachchapel.com.