Reginald E. Hendrick

Reginald “Reggie” Hendrick died February 27, 2019 at the Syracuse VA Medical Center after a brief illness.  He was 94 years old. 

Born in Hermon, NY on April 13, 1924, Reggie was the son of the late Clyde and Elsie (McCarthy) Hendrick.  He attended school in West Hermon and served in the Air Force in the 24th Combat Mapping Squadron as an MP then as a parachute rigger.  He joined the military during WWII for the opportunity to see the world and had the pleasure of being stationed in India as part of the China Burma India theater.  Later service sent him to Florida where he acted as a chauffeur to the Provost Marshall, the head of the military police, at Lakeland Army Air Field.

Reggie married Helen Gray on March 15, 1947 and they were married for forty years before she died in August 1987.   Together, they had twelve children: Linda Stevenson of Tennessee, Regina (John) Brabaw of Hermon, Cynthia (Robert) Dodge of LaFargeville, Debra (Robert) Fletcher and Larry (Deborah) of DeKalb Junction, Raymond, Gerald (Cathy), Douglas, and Carl (Vickie Northop) all of Rochester, and Ronald of Florida.  Reggie was predeceased by two children, Gloria (Paul) Trombley and Donald.  Reggie is survived by 24 grandchildren, 42 great grandchildren, and 7 great-great grandchildren.   A grandson, Thomas Dodge, died in 2017.   Reggie married Joyce Bacon Sayer on November 30, 1991 and she passed in 1999.   Mr. Hendrick was also predeceased by several siblings – Russell, Roger, Robert, Leland, James, Thomas, Virginia Aldrich, and Patricia Roe.  A sister, Mavis, resides in Hermon.

After the war, Reggie settled in DeKalb Junction where he lived for 72 years up until his death.   For 32 years, he worked as a car salesman for Ray Gary Chevrolet in Ogdensburg.  Reggie was a prolific and lively story teller who loved to share tales of his time in the service (including his trip to the Taj Mahal), his beloved career as a car salesman, and of various practical jokes that he and his brothers pulled on unsuspecting school teachers in his youth.  His family and friends remember him with a sly grin, a twinkle in his eye, and a pipe in his hand.   He was a man who appreciated a good joke and enjoyed spending time with his family. He will be missed greatly by all those who loved him.

A final viewing will be Monday, March 4th at the O’Leary Funeral Home in Canton from 2 to 4 pm and 6 to 8 pm.  Funeral services will be on Tuesday, March 5th at 11 am with burial to follow at Hermon Cemetery.  A reception for family and friends will be held immediately after at the Hermon Fire Hall.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Reginald E. Hendrick, please visit our floral store.