Robert 'Bob' Hendricks
February 14, 1952 ~ February 10, 2025
Robert 'Bob' Henry Hendricks, 72, of Robins, Iowa, passed away on Monday, February 10, 2025 at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy. On Friday, February 14th, friends and family are invited to celebrate his life, on his birthday from 9:00 ' 10:30 am at St. Pius X Catholic Church (4901 Council Street NE) in Cedar Rapids. A Mass of Christian burial will follow at 10:30 am. Military honors will immediately follow Mass. Private graveside services will be held at a later date.
Bob was born February 14, 1952 in Appleton, Wisconsin. He was the fifth of fourteen children to Mary Jane (Klister) and Leo Hendricks, born on the same day as his brother, just two years apart. He grew up on a farm near Little Chute, Wisconsin, and attended Ebben School, a one room schoolhouse with only an outhouse, for grades 1-8. He attended Kaukauna High School from 1966-1970. Bob completed his Basic Training for the Army at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He served as a Cryptanalytic Specialist and an Airborne Paratrooper while serving at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and Fort Benning, Georgia, from 1971-1974. Following his time in the military, he attended the Milwaukee School of Engineering (1974-1979) where he studied to become an Electrical Engineer and forged life-long friendships.
After completing college, he joined Rockwell Collins, which brought him to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he met Sandy Westhoff. On June 10, 1983, they were married at St. Mary's Church in Guttenberg, Iowa. Together, they had two daughters: Holly Ann and Carrie Lynn.
He worked at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids for 44 years (1979-2023) as a Senior Principal Electrical Engineer. Bob's work was very important to him. He was a hard worker and took great pride in the many projects, including flight simulator designs, he worked on throughout the years.
In May 2023, Bob went on an Honor Flight with his good friend, Sherm Sweeney.
He enjoyed NASCAR (Mark Martin was his favorite driver) and cheering on his Green Bay Packers. He loved tinkering in the garage with his cars, which included his green '70 Chevelle Super Sport, red '64 Chevelle, white '64 El Camino, grey '87 Monte Carlo, blue '78 Mustang hatchback, and a black '04 Ford Mustang GT. He also liked to collect coins and garden. His favorite food was mashed potatoes, and his favorite movies included: Top Gun, Mission Impossible and James Bond.
Bob was a kind-hearted, gentle soul with a dry sense of humor. He always had a story from his past to share with others. He had a genuine smile, although he didn't show it often. He was very generous, making sure his family's needs were taken care of before he thought of himself. In July 1983, he donated a kidney to his sister, Darlene. His selfless gift brought her eight more years of life. He loved spending time with his family, especially his four grandchildren. He was devoted to his faith as a member of Saint Pius X Church in Cedar Rapids.
Bob is survived by his wife, Sandy (Westhoff) Hendricks, Robins, Iowa; daughters and sons-in-law, Holly (Dan) White and Carrie (Jason) Eastvold; grandchildren, Laura and Hannah Eastvold and Henry and Grace White all from Marion, Iowa; siblings, Joan Hauser, Little Chute, Wisconsin, Diane (Mark) Wallace, Kaukauna, Wisconsin, Nancy (Mike) Pingel, Appleton, Wisconsin, Cindy (Bryan) Bolwerk, Appleton, Wisconsin, Paul (Kim) Hendricks, Clintonville, Wisconsin, Barb (Dave) Van De Hey, De Pere, Wisconsin, and Janice (Rich) Garrow, Appleton, Wisconsin; mother-in-law, Betty Westhoff, Dyersville, Iowa; sisters and brother-In law, JoAnn Hendricks, Kaukauna, Wisconsin, Cindy (Jody) Crow, Barb Westhoff and Lori Westhoff, all from Guttenberg; many nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, siblings, Sherilyn, Donald, Sandra, Darlene, Dennis and Joseph; father-in-law, Floyd Westhoff; and brother-in-law, Gary Westhoff.
Bob's family would like to extend their sincere gratitude to the staff at Mercy Hospital, Hospice of Mercy and the Mercy Hospice House for the wonderful care he received. In lieu of flowers and gifts, all memorials will go toward the wishes of the family.
Dad'We are deeply grateful to you for the countless gifts, lessons, and beautiful memories you shared with us. We will carry it all in our hearts forever. Know that you will live on in the love you've given us, and in that love, we will always find you. Cheers!
Please share your support and memories with Bob's family on his Tribute Wall at www.stewartbaxter.com under Obituaries.
View current weather.
Memories Timeline
Guestbook
Sign the Guestbook, Light a Candle
We are deeply sorry for your loss ~ Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services – Cedar Rapids
My deepest condolences to the family. Bob was such a great friend and mentor to me in the time we worked together at Collins. I will always remember his sense of humor, patience in teaching, and the love he had for his family. I’ll miss you pal.
Sandy and family,
Tom and I are so saddened to hear about Bob’s passing.
You are all in our prayers. We ask for strength and love to sustain each of you as you move forward through your grief.
Our sincere condolences with love,
Tom and Mary Ingram-Chittick
I twice was a co-op in his group – once in 2003 and again in 2006. Bob was a diligent man who had a sensible skeptism of management. He also had two things hanging up at his desk – a picture of Shania Twain and a job application to Wal Mart.
Godspeed Bob.
When we were neighbors with the Hendrickses, Bob would always greet us in our comings and goings. Many times we’d chat, sometimes sharing dinner or snacks. Like his wife, Sandy, he was a skilled conversationalist, . With a deadpan delivery and a sly smile, he would tell us stories that made us all laugh out loud. His mind was always whirring, too; he’d listen carefully to any quandaries, then offer cogent observations or ideas. He could share complex information without condescension, and so smoothly that it wasn’t until later I’d sometimes realize he was probably “dumbing it down” so we less cerebral humans could understand. His love for Sandy, his daughters and son-in-laws, his grandchildren and the rest of his family was evident from the way he talked about them – with warmth and pride. We feel fortunate to have known him. I’m sure he will be dearly missed.
With our loving thoughts and deepest condolences,
– Heidi and Hal Hartke
When I joined Rockwell Collins in 2003, Bob was there to Mentor and guide me right from the start. Bob was always there as my Mentor and my Friend. He will be missed greatly. My condolences to his immediate and the many extended Family. Rest in Peace my Friend.
Bob, Your Collins IES Family will miss you sir. Rest in Peace.
I met Bob in 2010 as a new hire to Collins, he had tremendous wealth of knowledge on the UH-60M Army System integration Lab (SIL) designs. I appreciated the the time he took to explain the complexities of the SIL. I also saw him busy and engaged every time I visited Cedar Bldg 182, sorry he didn’t more time in retirement. RIP Bob
My deepest condolences to the family. It’s my privilege to have known Bob since I started working at Collins a bit over two decades ago. We were once cubemates so Bob’s shared many beautiful stories of his family that he cared a lot about. He was just an expert in avionics parts that was once said to be “a walking dictionary” by his colleagues. Bob was so joyful to work with and we’ll miss you dearly, my friend. Rest in Peace, sir!
I met Bob at Collins when I came back on contract after Covid. If I came in at 6:30am he would already be there making sure we had all the parts we needed to complete the jobs we were building for his projects. He was a dedicated engineer and spent much time in the lab making sure we had what we needed. He truly cared for those he worked with and I so greatly appreciated his strong work ethic. He had a wonderful family at home and a wonderful family at work. Thanks Bob for the year I had to work with you. George
Praying for comfort during this difficult time , our hearts and prayers go out to you and your family.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May He look upon you kindly and give you peace.
Bob and I worked on the same team at Collins for over 20 years. Bob was the most dedicated, knowledgeable and helpful person I have ever worked with.
Bob showed up to work every single day at 4 or 5 a m . He worked long hours, weekends, went into the office every single day during covid and gave up vacation days every year. He did this because he loved what he did. It was his great passion creating avionics test solutions at Collins, and he was great at it.
Bob was what we call a subject matter expert at Collins. He was the go-to person on our team for answers to questions. This was known by not just his immediate teammates, but by all who knew him at Collins. Bob could remember technical details like no one else could. He also kept many, many filing cabinets full of information. The amazing thing about it was that if you asked Bob a question he didn’t know off the top of his head, it would take him only a matter of seconds to pull out the exact data you were looking for from his vast filing system.
Not only was he an expert, but Bob loved to share his knowledge with others. He didn’t take all of that knowledge and keep it close to his chest, but rather, he jumped at the opportunity to share it. And when you asked him a question, he would stop what he was doing to make you his priority. It was so reassuring to know I could count on Bob for help when I needed it.
But, having said all of that, what was most important to me was that Bob was a true friend. When he asked me how my day was, how my 3 girls by name were doing, how my husband and parents were doing, I knew it was because he really cared. He wasn’t just making small talk, he really wanted to know how things were going in my world. And it is for this that I will most remember Bob.
Praying for the family. I worked with Bob at Collins and I remember him as a great guy that was always willing to help others to solve problems. He is missed.