Morris Nathan Hendrickson

Morris N. Hendrickson was born in Seattle May 25, 1927. His father Henry was born of Swedish parents in the Minnesota Lake Country. His mother Irene's parents had emigrated from Norway to homestead in North Dakota near Williston. She grew up in a dirt floor sod house built into a hill and later taught in a one-room prairie schoolhouse. They met and married in Seattle.

Morry graduated from Lincoln High School in Seattle and served in the Occupation Army in Korea after WWII. He graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 1950 and then entered Luther Seminary in Minneapolis MN. After a time he realized that, though he loved working with people and enjoyed exploring spiritual relationships, neither he nor the church would be well served by his ministry. Morry returned to PLU, earning degrees in Education and in Liberal Arts in 1953. He got his first position at Puyallup High School, teaching English and Drama, and taught there for four years. He met Anita on a blind date the first week of her senior year at PLU. Morry worked weekends at the Tacoma radio station KMO, and Anita immediately recognized him by his gorgeous dark resonant voice. Morry realized that in Anita, he "had hold of dynamite," and so he proposed two days later--and she accepted. They were married in 1957 a week after she graduated and would have celebrated their 54th anniversary this June.

Anita was accepted into the University of Washington Medical School PhD program, so Morry joined Shoreline High School, and taught drama there for 6 years. During this time he obtained a MA from the University of Washington Drama Department. When Shoreline Community College was opened in 1963, Morry was invited to head up the Drama Department. Over 30 years he directed 3 productions a year including a production shared with the music department---which totals over 90 plays, musicals and operas! For a small community college program, a surprising number of his students are active in amateur or professional theater. Morry was a very popular teacher, thoroughly enjoyed working with students, and was a beloved mentor to many. He retired from Shoreline in 1993. This allowed him to travel with Anita as she did scientific research for extended periods in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Germany.

Morry has always enjoyed working with his hands. He constructed and wired the rooms in the unfinished downstairs in their family home. Over two years Morry built a 30 foot sailboat, "Star Drifter", constructed from a kit with precut ribs and then covered with marine plywood and fiberglass. A vivid memory was the night he was applying green fiberglass resin and forgot to add accelerator--he ran into the house yelling "rags!! rags!!" and every old towel and sheet was pressed into service. It was a thrill for the whole family when it was finished, and a big adventure to sail it to Victoria when none of them had much sailing experience. They enjoyed sailing through the San Juan Islands and Lower Sound until Morry's Parkinsons kept him from scrambling about the deck. Morry and Anita's father also built a small house that she designed on their property at Fidalgo Island's Alexander Beach, surely one of the most beautiful places on earth. His ashes will be scattered there.

Morry is survived by his wife Anita, twin daughters Dr. Lisa Nakamura of Milford CT and Karin Hendrickson of Los Alamos NM, son Gordon Hendrickson of Seattle, nieces Dr Roshen Hendrickson Undine of Brooklyn NY, Marid Hendrickson Dank of Bellingham and nephew Dylan Hendrickson of London England. He was preceded in death by his brother Duane Hendrickson of Jos Nigeria.

Morry and Anita moved to the 7th floor of the Mirabella Retirement Community with its view of Lake Union in June 2009. Morry really enjoyed the character and sophistication of the other Mirabella residents which was expressed in many spirited dinner conversations. He never abandoned his interest in exploring a place for the spiritual in society and its relationship to art.

He passed away peacefully from Parkinsonian dementia on January 1, 2011 with Anita holding his hand.