Robyn D. Hendricks

Robyn Diane Hendricks, Loving Mother, Sister & Friend, 73, passed peacefully on Sunday, October 6, 2024 in Columbus, OH, due to health complications after a long illness. 

Robyn was born on November 21, 1950 to Wesley and Wilma (Weldon) Bailey in Massillon, OH. She was a 1968 graduate of Fairless High School, then graduated in 1969 from the Canton City School’s Practical Nurse Program. She married Allen J. Hendricks on August 1, 1970 at Wesleyan Methodist Church on the Westside of Massillon. They were lifelong soulmates who stood the test of time with an unmatched devotion to each other. They were blessed with three sons: Gregory, Curtis, and Timothy.

Robyn’s marriage strengthened early in their lives after the Army drafted Allen, moved them to Fort Knox, KY, and then stationed him in Dongducheon, South Korea. She, like many women during this era, faced significant emotional strain due to the challenges of separation and uncertainty while raising their first child alone and away from family. This resilience shaped her into the strong, independent woman that everyone grew to know and admire over the years.

Robyn was an elder care nurse after returning to Massillon and worked at Hanover House and then Meadow Wind before retiring. Robyn loved being a nurse and caring for others with empathy, love, and a sharp-witted bedside manner. She was a founding member of the “Hanover Girls”, a life-long group of nursing friends who all started at Hanover House and remained close-knit ever since. She cherished these women like sisters, whether it was during girl’s night out, family gatherings featuring her homemade vanilla ice cream, or when she needed a shoulder to cry on.

She was a beloved Sunday School teacher at Wesleyan Methodist Church for many years and volunteered every Summer for Vacation Bible School. Robyn loved attending church with her family each week, singing many of her favorite hymns; Amazing Grace; How Great Thou Art; Crown Him With Many Crowns; Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty; All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name; and The Old Rugged Cross, and caroling with her church family after the evening service to shut-ins around town before Christmas. She had been attending and volunteering at Calvary Baptist Church of Moffitt Heights before moving to the Columbus area to be closer to her sons and grandchildren.

Her creativity was as endless as her love for others. Robyn baked many cakes over the years, from multi-tiered wedding to birthday, including an accurately decorated J.M. Smucker’s truck for Allen’s birthday one year, and an often-requested bikini cake. She spent weeks every Spring decorating Easter themed chocolate treats and would sell them all over town with her entrepreneurial spirit. It is still a fond memory her sons have of the times she spent teaching them her kitchen craft. Unless it was canning season and time to peel boiling hot peaches, then she would have to use her powers of persuasion to encourage them to peel faster.

Robyn began welcoming grandchildren into her life in 2002 as her focus shifted from mother to grandmother, an achievement she loved expressing to the world. She spent countless hours loving on her grandchildren every chance she got. It was difficult telling who’s face expressed more joy and excitement when they were together. Robyn spent each moment with her grandchildren with a loving wonder, connecting with them as only a cherished grandmother can.

Robyn is survived by her husband, Allen; her children, Gregory (Michelle) Hendricks, Curtis (Stacy) Hendricks, and Timothy (Brandi) Hendricks; six grandchildren: Wesley, Nathan, Faye, Jakob, Ethan, and Joey; sister Renee Schilling, several nieces and nephews, and many, many friends and neighbors.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers: Gary Bailey, Dana Bailey, and Rodney Bailey, and her half-brother Ron Mason Sr.

A Celebration of Life gathering will be hosted by the Tidd Family Funeral Home, 5265 Norwich Street, Hilliard, Ohio, 43026 on October 13, 2024 from 11:00am to 1:00pm for those wishing to attend. The family is planning to have a memorial service at a later day and time closer to Massillon, OH where most of Robyn’s friends and family still reside.

In lieu of flowers, monetary donations can be made in memory of Robyn to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click the link below to visit the “Robyn Hendricks Memorial MS Fund” page to make an online donation: https://donate.nationalmssociety.org/campaign/Robyn-Hendricks-Memorial-MS-Fund