Robert Ryan Hendricks, Jr., age 64, of McKinney, Texas, passed away June 18, 2013 after a yearlong courageous battle with brain cancer. He was surrounded by his loving family and friends. Rob was born April 27, 1949, in Dallas, Texas, to Robert "Bob" and Ruth Smith Hendricks. His family moved to McKinney in 1952 where he resided until his death. Rob was a 1967 graduate of McKinney High School and went on to graduate from Southern Methodist University where he was a major contributor in leading SMU to their first ever Southwest Conference Cross Country Championship. He married Donna Thrasher on December 30, 1969, in McKinney.
At the time of his death, Rob was employed with the Global Accounting Firm of KPMG, LLC. Up until the time of his illness, Rob was still running five miles a day. He loved watersports from the time he was three years old and continued to enjoy those times with his family. Rob was also a very loving godfather. He was a lifetime member of First United Methodist Church of McKinney, where he was one of the founding members of the Canafax Sunday School class.
He is survived by his wife, of forty-three years, Donna Hendricks of McKinney, Texas; son, Ryan Hendricks of Dallas, Texas; mother, Ruth Hendricks, also of McKinney; brother, Steve Hendricks and wife, Liz of Clayton, Oklahoma; sisters, Lisa Walsh and husband, John of Celina, Texas and Lauri Berlof and husband, Darrin of McKinney, Texas; nieces, Amy Thrasher and Jaime Recer of Trenton, Texas; nephews, Jonathan, Logan, and Landan Berlof of McKinney, Texas, and Zachary Hendricks of Denison, Texas.
He was preceded in death by his father, Bob Hendricks and precious daughter, Holly Ann Hendricks.
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Four and a Half Decades By Larry Eubanks
Rob was a fierce competitor on the running track as well as over the hill and thru the dale , otherwise called "Cross Country." It all began with our off season football workouts and the dreaded "run to the iron bridge." A lot of our buddies who are assembled here today remember that well. We all knew what the back of Rob's shirt looked like since he was always in the lead. He would usually continue to run until out of our sight and obviously be the first one back to the gym , much to the dismay of the other slackers who caught heck from the coaches. This scene would repeat itself frequently. I am happy to say Rob carried that competitive spirit on to SMU where we were teammates as well as roommates. I actually had a fairly competitive spirit also. So, the first day of practice our freshman year at SMU, the schedule called for a "light warm up jog" thru the streets of Highland Park, prior to the actual workout. As usual, Rob jumped out front and was going to take the lead. We ran for a while and I thought I would break the monotony, so I decided I would take the lead and pulled out and passed him. He really didn't like that very much. So he pulled out and passed me, which I didn't like very much. This continued for quite some time until we were racing at full speed back to Ownby Stadium, totally exhausted from our "warm up jog." The more intelligent upper classmen jogged in a few minutes later with much energy left for the actual workout. I learned a lesson that day – "Rob Hendricks is stubborn - so let him lead." Rob helped lead the SMU Mustangs to their first of three straight Southwest Conference Cross Country Championships. Back to high school. By the time Rob graduated from McKinney High School in 1967, he had broken and re-set every long-distance track record in the MHS record book. Rob was on his way to being a McKinney track legend. Having advanced to Regionals as a sophomore, he went on to win District and Regionals in the Mile Run two years in a row, setting numerous records along the way. He placed second at the state meet behind the nation's best miler. However, on the official track-and-field record board at MHS, his name was conspicuously absent; it showed that the school's best time for the Mile Run was set in 2001 with a time of 4:24. Donna mentioned to Keith and Debbie Reeder that Rob was not making a fuss about the issue but it was meaningful to him. So, I researched the issue and found the answer in the McKinney library from the 1967 sports pages. Rob's time was actually 4:19. With the help of the staff at MHS, Rob's name went up on the record board and on October 25, 2012, Rob's family and friends gathered for a presentation. He was honored with a plague from his Class of '67 and the formal establishment of an extraordinary record that remains some 45 years later. Rob was an amazing competitor, friend, husband and father. And I assume he is still leading as others fall in line to see the back of his shirt.
At the time of his death, Rob was employed with the Global Accounting Firm of KPMG, LLC. Up until the time of his illness, Rob was still running five miles a day. He loved watersports from the time he was three years old and continued to enjoy those times with his family. Rob was also a very loving godfather. He was a lifetime member of First United Methodist Church of McKinney, where he was one of the founding members of the Canafax Sunday School class.
He is survived by his wife, of forty-three years, Donna Hendricks of McKinney, Texas; son, Ryan Hendricks of Dallas, Texas; mother, Ruth Hendricks, also of McKinney; brother, Steve Hendricks and wife, Liz of Clayton, Oklahoma; sisters, Lisa Walsh and husband, John of Celina, Texas and Lauri Berlof and husband, Darrin of McKinney, Texas; nieces, Amy Thrasher and Jaime Recer of Trenton, Texas; nephews, Jonathan, Logan, and Landan Berlof of McKinney, Texas, and Zachary Hendricks of Denison, Texas.
He was preceded in death by his father, Bob Hendricks and precious daughter, Holly Ann Hendricks.
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Four and a Half Decades By Larry Eubanks
Rob was a fierce competitor on the running track as well as over the hill and thru the dale , otherwise called "Cross Country." It all began with our off season football workouts and the dreaded "run to the iron bridge." A lot of our buddies who are assembled here today remember that well. We all knew what the back of Rob's shirt looked like since he was always in the lead. He would usually continue to run until out of our sight and obviously be the first one back to the gym , much to the dismay of the other slackers who caught heck from the coaches. This scene would repeat itself frequently. I am happy to say Rob carried that competitive spirit on to SMU where we were teammates as well as roommates. I actually had a fairly competitive spirit also. So, the first day of practice our freshman year at SMU, the schedule called for a "light warm up jog" thru the streets of Highland Park, prior to the actual workout. As usual, Rob jumped out front and was going to take the lead. We ran for a while and I thought I would break the monotony, so I decided I would take the lead and pulled out and passed him. He really didn't like that very much. So he pulled out and passed me, which I didn't like very much. This continued for quite some time until we were racing at full speed back to Ownby Stadium, totally exhausted from our "warm up jog." The more intelligent upper classmen jogged in a few minutes later with much energy left for the actual workout. I learned a lesson that day – "Rob Hendricks is stubborn - so let him lead." Rob helped lead the SMU Mustangs to their first of three straight Southwest Conference Cross Country Championships. Back to high school. By the time Rob graduated from McKinney High School in 1967, he had broken and re-set every long-distance track record in the MHS record book. Rob was on his way to being a McKinney track legend. Having advanced to Regionals as a sophomore, he went on to win District and Regionals in the Mile Run two years in a row, setting numerous records along the way. He placed second at the state meet behind the nation's best miler. However, on the official track-and-field record board at MHS, his name was conspicuously absent; it showed that the school's best time for the Mile Run was set in 2001 with a time of 4:24. Donna mentioned to Keith and Debbie Reeder that Rob was not making a fuss about the issue but it was meaningful to him. So, I researched the issue and found the answer in the McKinney library from the 1967 sports pages. Rob's time was actually 4:19. With the help of the staff at MHS, Rob's name went up on the record board and on October 25, 2012, Rob's family and friends gathered for a presentation. He was honored with a plague from his Class of '67 and the formal establishment of an extraordinary record that remains some 45 years later. Rob was an amazing competitor, friend, husband and father. And I assume he is still leading as others fall in line to see the back of his shirt.
Robert Ryan Hendricks, Jr., age 64, of McKinney, Texas, passed away June 18, 2013 after a yearlong courageous battle with brain cancer. He was surrounded by his loving family and friends. Rob was born April 27, 1949, in Dallas, Texas, to Robert "Bob" and Ruth Smith Hendricks. His family moved to McKinney in 1952 where he resided until his death. Rob was a 1967 graduate of McKinney High School and went on to graduate from Southern Methodist University where he was a major contributor in leading SMU to their first ever Southwest Conference Cross Country Championship. He married Donna Thrasher on December 30, 1969, in McKinney.
At the time of his death, Rob was employed with the Global Accounting Firm of KPMG, LLC. Up until the time of his illness, Rob was still running five miles a day. He loved watersports from the time he was three years old and continued to enjoy those times with his family. Rob was also a very loving godfather. He was a lifetime member of First United Methodist Church of McKinney, where he was one of the founding members of the Canafax Sunday School class.
He is survived by his wife, of forty-three years, Donna Hendricks of McKinney, Texas; son, Ryan Hendricks of Dallas, Texas; mother, Ruth Hendricks, also of McKinney; brother, Steve Hendricks and wife, Liz of Clayton, Oklahoma; sisters, Lisa Walsh and husband, John of Celina, Texas and Lauri Berlof and husband, Darrin of McKinney, Texas; nieces, Amy Thrasher and Jaime Recer of Trenton, Texas; nephews, Jonathan, Logan, and Landan Berlof of McKinney, Texas, and Zachary Hendricks of Denison, Texas.
He was preceded in death by his father, Bob Hendricks and precious daughter, Holly Ann Hendricks.
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Four and a Half Decades By Larry Eubanks
Rob was a fierce competitor on the running track as well as over the hill and thru the dale , otherwise called "Cross Country." It all began with our off season football workouts and the dreaded "run to the iron bridge." A lot of our buddies who are assembled here today remember that well. We all knew what the back of Rob's shirt looked like since he was always in the lead. He would usually continue to run until out of our sight and obviously be the first one back to the gym , much to the dismay of the other slackers who caught heck from the coaches. This scene would repeat itself frequently. I am happy to say Rob carried that competitive spirit on to SMU where we were teammates as well as roommates. I actually had a fairly competitive spirit also. So, the first day of practice our freshman year at SMU, the schedule called for a "light warm up jog" thru the streets of Highland Park, prior to the actual workout. As usual, Rob jumped out front and was going to take the lead. We ran for a while and I thought I would break the monotony, so I decided I would take the lead and pulled out and passed him. He really didn't like that very much. So he pulled out and passed me, which I didn't like very much. This continued for quite some time until we were racing at full speed back to Ownby Stadium, totally exhausted from our "warm up jog." The more intelligent upper classmen jogged in a few minutes later with much energy left for the actual workout. I learned a lesson that day – "Rob Hendricks is stubborn - so let him lead." Rob helped lead the SMU Mustangs to their first of three straight Southwest Conference Cross Country Championships. Back to high school. By the time Rob graduated from McKinney High School in 1967, he had broken and re-set every long-distance track record in the MHS record book. Rob was on his way to being a McKinney track legend. Having advanced to Regionals as a sophomore, he went on to win District and Regionals in the Mile Run two years in a row, setting numerous records along the way. He placed second at the state meet behind the nation's best miler. However, on the official track-and-field record board at MHS, his name was conspicuously absent; it showed that the school's best time for the Mile Run was set in 2001 with a time of 4:24. Donna mentioned to Keith and Debbie Reeder that Rob was not making a fuss about the issue but it was meaningful to him. So, I researched the issue and found the answer in the McKinney library from the 1967 sports pages. Rob's time was actually 4:19. With the help of the staff at MHS, Rob's name went up on the record board and on October 25, 2012, Rob's family and friends gathered for a presentation. He was honored with a plague from his Class of '67 and the formal establishment of an extraordinary record that remains some 45 years later. Rob was an amazing competitor, friend, husband and father. And I assume he is still leading as others fall in line to see the back of his shirt.
At the time of his death, Rob was employed with the Global Accounting Firm of KPMG, LLC. Up until the time of his illness, Rob was still running five miles a day. He loved watersports from the time he was three years old and continued to enjoy those times with his family. Rob was also a very loving godfather. He was a lifetime member of First United Methodist Church of McKinney, where he was one of the founding members of the Canafax Sunday School class.
He is survived by his wife, of forty-three years, Donna Hendricks of McKinney, Texas; son, Ryan Hendricks of Dallas, Texas; mother, Ruth Hendricks, also of McKinney; brother, Steve Hendricks and wife, Liz of Clayton, Oklahoma; sisters, Lisa Walsh and husband, John of Celina, Texas and Lauri Berlof and husband, Darrin of McKinney, Texas; nieces, Amy Thrasher and Jaime Recer of Trenton, Texas; nephews, Jonathan, Logan, and Landan Berlof of McKinney, Texas, and Zachary Hendricks of Denison, Texas.
He was preceded in death by his father, Bob Hendricks and precious daughter, Holly Ann Hendricks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Four and a Half Decades By Larry Eubanks
Rob was a fierce competitor on the running track as well as over the hill and thru the dale , otherwise called "Cross Country." It all began with our off season football workouts and the dreaded "run to the iron bridge." A lot of our buddies who are assembled here today remember that well. We all knew what the back of Rob's shirt looked like since he was always in the lead. He would usually continue to run until out of our sight and obviously be the first one back to the gym , much to the dismay of the other slackers who caught heck from the coaches. This scene would repeat itself frequently. I am happy to say Rob carried that competitive spirit on to SMU where we were teammates as well as roommates. I actually had a fairly competitive spirit also. So, the first day of practice our freshman year at SMU, the schedule called for a "light warm up jog" thru the streets of Highland Park, prior to the actual workout. As usual, Rob jumped out front and was going to take the lead. We ran for a while and I thought I would break the monotony, so I decided I would take the lead and pulled out and passed him. He really didn't like that very much. So he pulled out and passed me, which I didn't like very much. This continued for quite some time until we were racing at full speed back to Ownby Stadium, totally exhausted from our "warm up jog." The more intelligent upper classmen jogged in a few minutes later with much energy left for the actual workout. I learned a lesson that day – "Rob Hendricks is stubborn - so let him lead." Rob helped lead the SMU Mustangs to their first of three straight Southwest Conference Cross Country Championships. Back to high school. By the time Rob graduated from McKinney High School in 1967, he had broken and re-set every long-distance track record in the MHS record book. Rob was on his way to being a McKinney track legend. Having advanced to Regionals as a sophomore, he went on to win District and Regionals in the Mile Run two years in a row, setting numerous records along the way. He placed second at the state meet behind the nation's best miler. However, on the official track-and-field record board at MHS, his name was conspicuously absent; it showed that the school's best time for the Mile Run was set in 2001 with a time of 4:24. Donna mentioned to Keith and Debbie Reeder that Rob was not making a fuss about the issue but it was meaningful to him. So, I researched the issue and found the answer in the McKinney library from the 1967 sports pages. Rob's time was actually 4:19. With the help of the staff at MHS, Rob's name went up on the record board and on October 25, 2012, Rob's family and friends gathered for a presentation. He was honored with a plague from his Class of '67 and the formal establishment of an extraordinary record that remains some 45 years later. Rob was an amazing competitor, friend, husband and father. And I assume he is still leading as others fall in line to see the back of his shirt.
