ELKHART - The Rev. Cecil Leonard Hendrix, 90, Winona Lake, formerly of Elkhart, died of natural causes at 5:20 a.m. Dec. 31, 2009, at Grace Village Retirement Community, where he lived since 1998.
He was born Feb. 14, 1919, in Benton Harbor, Mich., to Floyd and Llabelle Fuller Hendrix. In 1936, he married Lucille M. Campbell, who died in 2004.
He graduated from Benton Harbor High School in 1936, Hope College, Holland, Mich., in 1944 and United Theological Seminary, Dayton, Ohio, in 1947. He continued his education attending summer schools of theology at Princeton University, Princeton, N.J., and Georgetown University, Georgetown, Ky.
In 1946, he became an ordained deacon in the Methodist Episcopal Church. He served as a student pastor of the South Lebanon/Morrow, Ohio, churches in 1994 and of the Camden/Grattis, Ohio, churches in 1945. After graduation, he pastored the Whitehouse, Ohio, Church in 1947. In 1948, he was ordained an elder in the Evangelical United Brethren Church at the Billy Sunday Tabernacle, Winona Lake.
He pastored the Butler EUB church from 1948 to 1951 and served as the president of the DeKalb County Ministerial Association. He pastored the Bremen Grace Church from 1951-56. While pastor of All Saints EUB Church, South Bend, from 1956 to 1962, he served as the executive secretary of the Indiana Conference North Board of Missions. From 1962-71, he served as pastor of the Bethel EUB Church, Elkhart. While in Elkhart, he served on the Elkhart County Council of Churches as chairman on race relations. The last two churches he served were North Manchester UM Church from 1971-77 and Huntertown UM Church from 1977 until he retired from full-time ministry in 1981. He served as a Northern Indiana United Methodist trustee.
After retiring, he was winter associate pastor from 1982-96 at First United Methodist Church, Mission, Texas, where he and his wife spent 18 winters. Most recently, he was a member of Trinity UM Church in Warsaw where he taught Sunday school ocassionally preaching at his church and at chapel services at Grace Village as well as singing in the choir.
Surviving are four children: Cecille (and spouse Alan) Huff, Poland, Ohio; Dennis (and spouse Jill) Hendrix, Elkhart; Linda (and spouse Charles) Nightingale, Mishawaka; Jeffry (and spouse Mochel), Falls Church, Va.; a daughter-in-law, Nancy, South Bend; a brother, Warren (and spouse Anna Jean) Hendrix, St. Joseph, Mich.; a sister, Marilyn (and spouse Bob) Wells, Zephryrhills, Fla.; 13 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by a son, David, South Bend, and two brothers, Donald and Dale, both of Benton Harbor.
Services will be at noon Monday at Bethel United Methodist Church, Elkhart, with the Rev. Mochel Morris and Pastors Andy Martin and Catherine Koziatek officiating. A graveside service will follow at 2:30 p.m. at Oak Hill Cemetery, Plymouth.
Calling is 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Walley-Mills-Zimmerman Funeral Home, Elkhart, and one hour prior to the service at the church.
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Memorials to Bethel UM Church of Elkhart or Trinity UM Church of Warsaw.
