Esther Hendrix
Esther Louise (Graham) Hendrix was born Nov. 1, 1937, and died Oct. 13, 2018, at the age of 80, with her family by her side. Esther was born to Anna Fern (Hixson) Graham and Harold Bruce Graham in Syracuse, Kansas. She was the fifth of five daughters and considered herself a tomboy and the son that Bruce never had.
Sister Valera (14 years older than Esther) remembers the night that Esther was born, as Valera had to milk seven cows as Bruce was with Fern at Esther’s birth. Little sister was already causing problems for her big sisters. Esther was the typical little sister to her older sisters, always wanting to tag along with everything they did.
The family then moved from Syracuse to northeast of Lamar on a ranch where Bruce raised sheep. When Esther was a teenager, the family moved to a ranch/farm near Adena in Morgan County. Esther was a 10-year 4-H member, showing both sheep and steers. In fact, one year at the Morgan County Fair, she had an appendicitis attack but insisted on showing her steer before being taken to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy.
Esther graduated from Fort Morgan High School in 1955. Esther’s family lived quite a distance from Fort Morgan. Therefore, while attending high school in Fort Morgan, Esther lived in a boarding house in Fort Morgan during the week and would go home on the weekends. She worked at a bakery in the mornings before school and for a while once she graduated from high school. Esther attended Emily Griffith Practical Nursing Program in Denver. Upon graduation, she received her LPN licensure in January 1958.
Esther met Ray at a rodeo in Fort Morgan in 1953. From that day forward, they began to date. Ray was soon to be drafted into the Army in 1956 and was sent to Korea for two years. He and Esther continued to communicate by mail while he was in the service. He even purchased her wedding rings while on leave one weekend in Japan.
Upon returning home from the service, Esther and Ray once again began their courtship. Ray was finally able to use those wedding rings.
Ray and Esther’s first home together was in Hillrose, where Ray worked for a local farmer/rancher. In 1959 Dana Rae was born. Later they moved to Sterling, where Ray managed a feedlot for Hamil Brothers. In 1962 Loren was added to the family. At that time, they lived in the Padroni area and Ray managed a farm/ranch for Dr. Tennant. Esther worked in Sterling as a nurse at a doctor’s office.
A few years later they moved to the Lazy D Ranch south of Cheyenne, Wyoming, where Ray managed the Lazy D Grazing Association. In 1968, Ray was once again asked to work for Hamil Brothers, as the ranch foreman and the family moved 20 miles southeast of Holyoke on the NEBCO Ranch.
Upon moving to Holyoke, Esther worked at the nursing home in Holyoke as a nurse for several years, eventually going to work at Melissa Memorial Hospital as a nurse on the floor and in later years working at the specialty clinic and in medical records.
After 50 years of holding her nursing license, she retired from nursing in 2008. Her retirement gift (which was a joke) from Ray was insulated coveralls and work gloves — pretty clear what he had in mind for her.
Esther loved to work in her yard and flower garden and to can the items from her garden. She loved being outside and helping Dana and Loren with their horse, sheep and steer projects. When Ray would practice roping, she was the gateman on the roping shoot until Dana and Loren became old enough to run it. Esther always made sure when they worked cattle or moved them that the crew had plenty to eat, whether it was a full meal or snacks of her famous chocolate cake, scotcheroos, brownies or coffee cake.
In her earlier years, she worked by the guys’ side, usually running the vaccination gun. She reminded them that she was a nurse and knew how to give a shot, whether to a human or a calf. She also helped with calving or by bringing up the rear when moving cattle with the pickup and trailer. Not only was Esther a nurse to the public, but between Loren and Ray, they kept her plenty busy as their personal nurse with their injuries and illnesses.
Approximately five years ago, Esther was diagnosed with macular degeneration in her eyes. This limited her vision. However, she still managed to do everything, even the books for the ranch while having to use a magnifier for most of it. Esther loved to watch all the grandkids compete with their livestock projects at county fairs and was so proud of all their activities and accomplishments, even when her vision limited her ability to clearly see them.
Esther loved to attend garage sales and auctions. Ray always knew she would come home with some kind of “bargain”! She also liked to go to the casinos to play the slot machines.
Esther was diagnosed just a month ago with cancer. The cancer was very fast-advancing and was untreatable. She went to be with her Lord and Savior on Oct. 13, with her family by her side, one day after their 60th anniversary. The morning after Esther’s passing, two of her grandchildren stated that Grandma was in heaven right then making her famous homemade biscuits and gravy. But she had to hurry, as there were garage sales to get to and she had to get to the casino later in the day as there was a slot machine calling her name.
Esther was preceded in death by her parents, Bruce and Fern Graham; sisters, Eileen Scheibe and Lois Shank; and many other family members.
Esther is survived by her husband of 60 years, Ray; daughter, Dana Barth of Holyoke; son, Loren Hendrix and wife Patty of Holyoke; grandchildren, Justin Sherwood and Toni of Yoder, Brandon Sherwood of Castle Rock, Brittany Sexson and Sage of Sharon Springs, Kansas, Tanner Barth of Wilmington, North Carolina, and Taylor Hendrix of Holyoke; great-grandchildren, Addiley Sexson, Rylan Sherwood, Reagan Sexson and Aureli Sherwood; sisters, Edith Helmer and Valera Morgan, both of Marion, Kansas; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and dear friends.
A memorial service was held Oct. 20 at First Christian Church in Holyoke, officiated by Todd Combs.
Baucke Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements.