Edgar James “Jim” Hendrix
Edgar James “Jim” Hendrix passed away peacefully at home on February 14, surrounded by family. He was preceded in death by his parents and seven siblings. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Phyllis, his two children, Steve and Cindy, his younger brother Lee and sister Eunice Fass, five grandchildren and one soon-to-be great grandchild.
Jim was born in a rural Nebraska farming community in 1931. As a young boy, a family friend taught him all about ham radio and Jim eventually convinced his father to let him build his own workshop in the chicken coop. Later, his younger sister would introduce him to her best friend, who had just been crowned the Queen of the Richardson County Fair of 1953, and who would be his wife for nearly seven decades.
As a child, Jim walked or rode a horse to a one room schoolhouse, built by his grandparent’s family, often stopping on the way at his Grandma’s house for freshly baked sugar cookies. After graduating from Humboldt High School in 1949, Jim went to Albuquerque to live with an older brother and worked as a telephone installer with the Mountain States Telephone Company. After joining the Navy in 1951, Jim served as a radar operator in a seaplane in Kodiak Alaska. He also served in many areas of the South Pacific and flew reconnaissance missions during the early days of the Korean War. Jim earned his private pilot’s license in 1969 and, over 50 years later, met his pilot instructor when he participated in the Veteran’s Honor Flight to Washington DC, in recognition of his military service.
After being honorably discharged from the Navy, Jim worked briefly for Union Pacific Railroad, for whom he helped design a traction control system. He then attended Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, which led to a job with Goodyear Aerospace, where he worked for over three decades. He was honored as the annual recipient of Goodyear’s Spirit Award in 1985. Shortly after retiring, Jim became a consultant for the Earthwinds Project that attempted a manned non-stop flight around the world in a helium balloon.
Despite extensive work-related travel, Jim served as president of the PTA and as a Boy Scout leader, using a week of vacation every summer to take his troop to Scout camp. He also completed the advanced Scoutmaster training required to earn the Boy Scout Wood Badge. In his free time, he mentored a group of teenage boys in electronics, math and ham radio.
Jim was a Charter Member of the Randolph Lion’s Club and was one of the three founders present to receive his Service Award for 50 years. He worked at the Lion’s woodpile every Saturday morning, made pancakes for the Memorial Day breakfast, helped at the Portage County Fair and participated in many of the other Lion’s Club’s service projects. He designed the Randolph Senior / Community Center and, with the Lion’s Club, helped to build the Center as well as the Randolph Library.
Jim and his wife Phyllis enjoyed being Mr. and Mrs. Claus every Christmas for community events and visiting friends’ homes on Christmas Eves since 1982. They enjoyed skiing with their family and square dancing together for many years.
Jim’s life and work spanned nearly a century of technological innovation; he was born on a rural Nebraska farm during the Depression and eventually designed equipment that was used on the moon. He lived a life of service and commitment to his work, his community and his family.
As per his request, there will be a Celebration of Life at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Randolph Fire / EMS Department at P.O. Box 190, Randolph, Ohio 44265.
Lydia Maxine (Schumm) Jones
Lydia “Maxine” Jones, 93, of Rootstown, Ohio passed away peacefully at home on February 15, 2023. She was born in Twinsburg, Ohio on January 16th, 1930, to Franklin and Pleasant (Russell) Schumm.
Harry E. Bowser
Harry E. Bowser, 76 of Streetsboro passed away Wednesday February 15, 2023 at his home in Streetsboro. He was born October 3, 1946 in Kittanning, PA to the late Harry C. and Blanche (Walter) Bowser.
