Col. Jerry B. Hendrix

December 23, 1938 - December 7, 2023

Col. Jerry Blake

Hendrix (U.S. Air Force) of San Antonio, Texas, passed away on Dec. 7 at the age of 84.

Jerry was born Dec.

23, 1938, the youngest of Ora and Charles Hendrix’ seven children. He grew up in Commerce, Texas, attended Texas A&M University on a football scholarship, then transferred to East Texas State University to complete his Bachelor of Science degree on an ROTC scholarship. He graduated as the school’s Sigma Delta Chi Outstanding Male Graduate in Journalism in 1961, and then entered the Air Force as a second lieutenant.

Also in 1961 he married Barbara Shields, just as he embarked on what would be a 30-year military career in public affairs in which he used his writing, editorial, and photography skills and training. Air Force life took him away from Texas to see the world. Through the 1960s and 70s he was assigned to Osan Air Base in Korea, the Pentagon, and Wiesbaden and Ramstein Air Force bases in Germany, and in 1974 he was transferred to Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio.

In 1980, Jerry married Gaye Burris, and that same year was selected as the director of public affairs at the Air Force Academy. In 1983, he was reassigned to the Pentagon as chief of the Community Relations Division, and in 1986 he returned to Randolph AFB as the director of public affairs for Headquarters Air Training Command. Throughout his career, Jerry’s high standards, intelligence, good judgment, and strong work ethic gave him great success, and he retired as a colonel in 1991.

After retirement, Jerry continued to work for a time, managing the Courtyard Tennis Club in Austin and then working at USAA in San Antonio. But he also found more time for family and hobbies including furniture- and swingsetbuilding, pie-baking, and gardening. Jerry’s most consistent joy from high school through his 70s was playing (and winning) tournament tennis wherever he lived. During his military years he coached and played on the Air Force Interservice Tennis Team when the team, including he and his doubles partner, took the 1979 championship trophy.

Jerry married Kay Ruckman in 1996. She shared his love of tennis and together for many years they taught tennis skills to children through Camp Discovery, which offers camps for children with cancer, and Racquets Up!, for children with Down Syndrome.

So many people loved Jerry and will miss his sense of humor, commitment to and love of family, and drive to help others, including his wife of 27 years, Kay Hendrix of

San Antonio, and his children and their spouses: Dana Hendrix of Georgetown and her husband Keith Hutchinson, Dave Hendrix of Austin and his wife Robin Hendrix, Drew Hendrix of Plano and his wife Amy Hendrix, and Elizabeth Hendrix Bunch of Wake Forest, North Carolina; as well as Kay’s children Heather

Rios of Kingwood and her husband Chris Rios; and Summer Ruckman of Boulder, Colorado.

He is also greatly loved and missed by grandchildren Kate Hendrix, Samantha Cloud-Miller, Kasey Hendrix, Allison Hendrix, Austin Hendrix, Abby Hendrix, Norah Bunch, Lucas Bunch, Barrett Rios, Hayden Rios, and Tanner Rios.

Also in the family’s thoughts are Jerry’s many nieces and nephews, and the staff at Seasons Memory Care at Shavano Park who cared for him for the last three years of his life.

Military funeral honors and interment will take place at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio at 1:15 p.m. on Jan. 5, with a celebration of life following nearby. In lieu of flowers, anyone who wishes to make a donation in Jerry’s memory might consider Camp Discovery. To donate, go to discoverycamps.campbraingiving.com. From the Direct Your Donation drop-down menu select Camp Discovery. Adding a dedication in memory of Jerry Hendrix will ensure that the family will be notified, and your donation will go toward refurbishing tennis courts at the Texas Lions Camp.