Obituary: James Woodrow Hendrix

James Woodrow Hendrix, 90, of Burns Flat passed away Aug. 22, 2020 after a full life of loving God and his family.

He was born June 17, 1930, to Thomas Alfred and Verna Jane (Stone) Hendrix of Hobart. His father died in 1944, and James joined the Army at age 17 to help support his family.

He was stationed in Panama as a chaplain’s assistant and served two years. He came home and married his sweetheart, Wanita Adams, on August 26, 1950. They were only four days short of celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary.

James was called back up by the Army during the Korean War and was stationed in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, until his honorable discharge in 1953.

In civilian life, James found work as a seismographer, working in grain storage and operating the printing press at The Cordell Beacon. In 1960, he moved his young family to Oklahoma City and began working on the printing press for OPUBCO. Along the way, he attended college at Altus Junior College, Rose State College and Oklahoma State University. He was a loyal OSU fan, and he also dabbled in real estate in the metro area.

After 25 years at OPUBCO, James retired and moved back home to western Oklahoma in 1987. Retirement didn’t suit him, though, and he renovated older houses, worked for Western Technology Center in Burns Flat and served as a deacon and fill-in preacher at Cumberland Presbyterian Church, where he was a longtime member.

Because he joined the military early, James did not graduate from high school but did earn his general equivalency diploma when he got out of the service. In his later years, he mentioned his desire for a high school diploma to his next-door neighbor, Marva Webb, who is on the Burns Flat-Dill City school board. With her help and that of then-BFDC superintendent Ron Hughes, James was awarded a high school diploma in 2015 at age 84. It was the fulfillment of a longtime dream.

James is survived by his beloved wife, Wanita; sons Steve, Chad (wife Holly Clanahan) and Richard (fiancée Rochelle Higgins); and grandchildren James L. II, Jacob and Leeann. He was preceded in death by a son, James Loy, and a granddaughter, Angel.

With his final instructions, James reminded his family to hold fast to the truths in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, which reads in part, “Three things will last forever – faith, hope and love – and the greatest of these is love.”

A memorial service is pending.