In Memory of

Donetta

Hendrickson

Obituary for Donetta Hendrickson

On Saturday, November 16, 2019, Donetta Hendrickson of Stinnett, Texas, went home to be with her Lord at the age of 63. Donetta (Donna to most) was born June 19, 1956, in Hereford, Tx., to Oleta and J.B. Raper. She grew up in Dimmitt, Texas, a proud member of The Mighty Bobcat Marching Band and graduating class of 1975. She loved her family fiercely, but none so much as her two brothers, Johnny and Joe. Donetta was an ingenious "Do It Yourselfer" and never waited for anyone to fix something for her. It wouldn't be uncommon to find her working on a dismantled appliance, tools scattered around herself, as she combed through her favorite thick bound copy of "How to Fix Everything." She happily tried out her hand as her children's first hair stylist, well documented in their grade school yearbooks as they modeled the best bowl cuts and perms around. She loved working in the yard, spraying her own concoction of a secret formula that promised to keep parasites at bay. (Key ingredients included dish soap and cheap beer.) Her children were also recruited in the upkeep of the yard, tasked with aerating the lawn by strapping boards with nails adhered to the bottom of the boards to their shoes. She was quick with a needle and thread, whipping up school play and Halloween costumes, cozy blankets, and Christmas decorations. Her handmade gifts could be meaningful, like the dolls she sewed for each of her children with matching characteristics and hand painted faces. Or they could be ornery gag gifts like the jars she passed out to the family that were filled with dried beans and hand sewn stuffed smiling pig faces and their backsides with curly-q tails, with the embroidered label "Pork and Beans." She liked to dance with her daughters to music by The Judds, George Strait, and the all-time classic by Dan Seals "Bop" with You Baby. She stood taller than most, but she wasn't scared to add good heels into her outfit to ensure you would be the one looking up to her. Her children knew she was the prettiest, and they were always prepared to give the stink eye to anyone else who noticed. Later she became Nana to five, and she would brag about them to everyone who worked at the Stinnett courthouse, where she worked as Deputy Clerk.  We will greatly miss her thoughtful laugh, her warning smirk and sideways nod when a joke went too far, the heart she wore on her sleeve, her genuine deep felt hugs, and the way she taught us to never say goodbye without telling someone "I love you." She was preceded in death by her parents, Oleta and J.B. Raper, and her brother Johnny. She is survived by her three children, Amber Spencer and husband Ty, Shaun Hendrickson and wife Laura, Jamie Holland and husband Dustin; her five grandchildren, Aiden Hendrickson, Avery and Berkley Foster, and Tyson and Johnnie Faye Spencer; her brother Joe Raper and wife Beth, and their two sons, Andrew and Brion. She is also survived by her uncle Monty Boozer and wife Sue, and her uncle Glen Boozer and wife Tillie, many cousins, and cherished loyal friends. Please join us for Donetta's Celebration of Life on Thursday, November 21, 2019, 11:30 am, at Hugo's on the Square, 407 16th Street, in Canyon, Tx. Graveside services will be held at West Lawn Memorial Park in Dimmitt, Texas at 3 pm. Flowers may be sent to Brooks Funeral Directors, 1702 5th Avenue, in Canyon. The family encourages any donations to go to the charity that is closest to your heart.