Gary Lester Hendricks, 82, of Hettinger,ND passed away on Thursday, July 23, 2020 at the Western Horizons Assisted Living Center in Hettinger. Gary was born on March 23, 1938 in Hettinger, ND, the third son of George and Gladys Hendricks.  Gary was joined by sisters Gwenyth and Laurel.

Gary grew up on the family farm southwest of Lodgepole, SD and graduated from Bealer Rural School.

As a youngster, Gary and his companion, Shep, his collie dog, explored the rocks and rills, creeks and dimpled hills, the fields and pastures of the family farm.  It was on this farm that lessons of work and play, life and death, joy and sorrow, responsibility, reliability and dependability were learned.

He attended Hettinger High School, graduating in 1956.  He contracted rheumatic fever which prevented vigorous physical activity so instead of wasting time on sports during high school, he was able to do part time work for Orville Bakke at the Red Owl Store, Carl Fitterer at Rexall Drug and wrapping butter at the Adams County Creamery.  Those jobs helped him decide what he did not want to do in life.

Entering into his senior year in high school, Gary was hired by Les Kleven, manager of KNDC radio, as an after school radio announcer and also working on Saturdays and Sundays.  The job was so challenging and interesting he always said that rather than being paid for the work he should have paid for the fun of the job.

After graduating from high school, Gary was asked by D.J. Shultz, editor of the Adams County Record, to work for him as a reporter, bookkeeper and newspaper trainee.  While continuing to work part time at KNDC, Gary learned the newspaper business and became co-editor of the paper.

On June 27, 1959, Gary was married to Laureen Murphy of Powell, Wyo.  Three children were born to this union, Jeffrey, Lynette and Michael.

In 1965, Gary joined with Les Kleven and Allen McIntyre to purchase KNDC radio and then in 1967, Les and Gary sold their interest to Allen McIntyre.

Gary then worked as a file organizer and 1968 campaign coordinator for the ND Republican Party.  After the election, the family moved to Sturgis, SD where Gary became operations manager for KBHB radio.

In 1970, he returned to politics as Research Director, Director of Communications and then Executive director of the ND Republican Party.

In 1973, Gary and Laureen purchased the family farm from his parents and the family moved to the country.  On the farm, he experimented with various breeds of sheep to develop a cross that produced more pounds of lamb from fewer and smaller ewes.

He also started using cover crops and green manure crops to provide fertilizer and organic matter to the farm ground.

Gary was a promoter of diversified, sustainable, renewable, biological agriculture, maintaining that the industrial agriculture promoted by fertilizer, chemical and machinery companies was designed to make serfs out of farmers while those companies ran off with the profits.

Gary was active in community affairs and received the Distinguished Service Award from the Hettinger Jaycees, the Soil and Water Conservation District award in 1993 and the Award of Merit from the National Association of Conservation Districts.

He served on the Advisory Board for the Hettinger Research and Extension Center.  He also served on the Northwest Independent school Board for six years and was one of three members on the Perkins County ASC County Committee for ten years.

The farm was named as a South Dakota Centennial Farm and Gary was pleased that he owned the homestead of his paternal grandparents, John and Antje Hendricks and the homestead of his maternal grandparents, Carl W and Hannah Nelson.

Gary is survived by his wife of 61 years, Laureen, daughter Lynette (Dave) Pearson, sons Jeffrey Hendricks and Michael Hendricks, grandchildren Caitlin (Wade) Parker, Alix Pearson and Ben Pearson, great granddaughter Noah Parker, sister Gwenyth (Larry) and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Laurel (Fred) Hofeldt and Brothers Lyonne David Hendricks and Eugene Lee Hendricks, both in infancy.

Per Gary's wishes there will be no services and cremation has taken place.