Loreen Hendricks, 83, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.
Loreen was born at home on Nov. 28, 1941, to Earl E. and Inez Pearl (Burch) Ferries. The youngest of six children, she grew up on a farm located near Ontario, Wis., a small village in Vernon County on the Kickapoo River. It’s a beautiful area, and after she moved away, she loved to “go back home” and visit her family who still reside there.
Loreen attended Mount Pisgah Grade School, which was a one-room schoolhouse for first through eighth grade. From there, she went on to attend and graduate from Ontario High School, Vernon County Teachers’ College, and Whitewater State College. Upon graduation, she taught at elementary schools in Kenosha and Seymour before teaching at Jackson School in Green Bay for 33 years. A big regret for Loreen was that she did not keep a journal of all the memorable things that happened in her life as a teacher of 6- and 7-year-olds. She enjoyed working with younger kids and often said, “They keep me young.” She witnessed many changes in education before retiring in June 1999, after teaching 37 years.
On Aug. 18, 1973, she married Jerry J. Hendricks in Green Bay. He blessed her by bringing his four beautiful children into her life: Laurie, Pamela, Duane, and Joanne. She loved them like her own. Early in their marriage, they lived in Howard and then on a hobby farm in Stangelville. After they both retired, they decided they would like to live on a lake up north, so they purchased a year-round home on White Potato Lake in Pound, Wis. They both loved the area and the friends they made there. Favorite times for them were rides around the lake on their pontoon boat, riding the trails on their four wheelers, eating at their favorite restaurants, and taking trips in their motorhome. Jerry’s health was failing, but he was able to enjoy the lake for 2 1/2 years before passing away in 2006. Loreen continued to live at the lake, where she met and enjoyed the special companionship of Jim Fredrickson. She felt fortunate to have him in her life for several years before his death in 2019. They shared many good times together.
After retiring, Loreen was a member of the Brown County Retired Teachers Association, and after moving north, she joined NORTA, the retired teachers association for that area. She volunteered at St. Claire Hospital Auxiliary in Oconto Falls, where she worked in the gift shop and joined the White Potato Lake Sportsmen’s Club, where she served as the secretary for several years. She was an avid reader, loved to do crossword and Sudoku puzzles, and watched “Jeopardy” and “Wheel of Fortune” daily. She enjoyed going out to eat with her friends and loved to go for rides with her dog Sadie in their side-by-side. But her favorite times were the family gatherings when she and all the kids and grandchildren were together.
Loreen was preceded in death by her husband, Jerry; her parents, Earl E. and Pearl Ferries; her in-laws, Elmer and Ruth Hendricks; her special friend, Jim Fredrickson; her brothers, sisters, and in-laws, Dean and Arlene Ferries, Donald and Jeanette Ferries, Fern and Mailen Hutchison, and Loreta and Leo Havlik; a great-granddaughter, Holly Toberman; and her beloved dog, Sadie.
She is survived by her stepchildren, Laurie (Gary) Lindow, Pamela (Kurt) Carlson, Duane (Cathy) Hendricks, and Joanne (Donnie) Graff; her grandchildren, Katherine (Tyler) Hass, Allison Lindow, Kiley Graff, Mackenzie Graff, Travis Toberman, and Scott Toberman; four great-grandchildren, Alana, Ava, Truman and Hadley Toberman; her brother, Earl G. (Paulette) Ferries; her sister-in-law, Leanne Eschelweck; many nieces and nephews; and Jim’s family, especially Michael (Gina) Fredrickson. A special thank you to Mabel and Harry for all they did to help her stay at home independently. She also appreciated her niece, Donna Ferries, for keeping her updated on the news from back home.
A visitation for Loreen was held at Proko-Wall Funeral Home, 1630 E. Mason St., on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.
A celebration of life will be Saturday, May 3. There will be a service at Ontario Hilltop Cemetery at 11 a.m., followed by a luncheon at noon at Mount Pisgah Wesleyan Church, E. 13192 Pisgah Road, Ontario.
