Jeffrey "Jeff" J. Hendricks

Jeffrey "Jeff" John Hendricks, 71, of Wilton, died peacefully on May 9th, 2025 at Sanford Health in Bismarck.

Jeff was born on November 20th, 1953, in Saint Cloud Minnesota to John and Charlotte (Counihan) Hendricks. His family moved to Moorhead Minnesota when he was four and he spent his childhood there surrounded by three sisters. He was a graduate of Moorhead High School. Following graduation, he worked for Western Products out of Fargo and then with his brother-in-law, Larry at Towne Siding and Windows.

Jeff met the mother of his children, Jamie Griffin, in 1976 at a café in Beulah, ND. They married later that year. As newlyweds they lived in the Patterson Hotel before settling down in Wilton, ND where they raised their children. They divorced in 1994 but remained lifelong friends.

Jeff was a master of his trade. His decades-honed skills with windows and siding made him the go-to expert in town. Whether it was a historic home in need of careful restoration or a modern house needing energy-efficient upgrades, he approached every project with precision and unmatched craftsmanship. He worked for Western Home Improvement in Wilton until his retirement. Even after retiring, Jeff wasn’t quite ready to hang up his toolbelt. He was well known around Wilton as the fix-it man. He was always working on some sort of project whether it was around town or just helping his neighbors. He was truly a jack of all trades, but he specialized in bending metal. Jeff took a great amount of pride in his work. It was important to him to take the time to make sure things were done right, and he passed that trait on to all his children.

Throughout his youth he pushed his various projects late into the night, fueled by microwaved coffee. He would balance a handful of on-going builds at a drying point: glue drying on repairs, stain drying on lumber and his dinner drying to the fork that he held while dozing at table. He survived mostly on coffee and Reese's peanut butter cups but also enjoyed Country Hearth 12 grain wheat bread, toasted with real butter. He made a delicious banana cream pie with homemade whipped cream that was frequently requested from his family. Jeff loved vintage cars and enjoyed woodworking. He took pleasure in reading, studying naturopathic medicine, playing bingo and Taboo, rollerblading, fishing, ice skating and lighting-off fireworks. He was a fan of the golden oldies and thrived on a good evening of karaoke. He was a bit of a poet and often displayed his skills on birthday cards and post it notes. Jeff was also quite the conversationalist. It was easy to lose time talking with him for hours.

He will be missed.

Jeff was preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Char and his sisters Becky Towne and Debbie Harr.

He is survived by his children, Corey, Jesse (Jen), and Lyndsey (Josh); grandchildren, Aria, Sage, Anthony, Brayden, Kayden, Jaylah, Tayler, Kennady and Ivy; sister, Dawn (Jeff) Gilbertson as well as his girlfriend, Janette Lange and stepchildren, Gabe, Zeke, Nathaniel, Romeo, Grace and Cassondra.

Visitation will be held from 11:00 to 1:00 pm, Monday May 19th at Bismarck Funeral Home, 3723 Lockport St, Bismarck with a private family graveside service to follow.

In lieu of flowers please donate to the Alzheimer's Association: www.donorservices.alz.org

The family would like to extend heartfelt thank you to all of the staff at Sunset Nursing home for caring for our Dad when we were unable to, and a big thank you to the doctors and nurses in the Sanford ICU, as well as the palliative care team. Your kindness and compassion during this time will not be forgotten.