Max & Geno Hendrickson 
Max & Casey Hendrickson
Max will always be one of the happiest and friendliest people we have had the pleasure of knowing. He is the last person we would have thought was struggling inside and our hearts hurt daily with missing him.
Max was a friend to everyone in our family; he treated our youngest son like a little brother and our two girls like little sisters. He and my husband were fishing buddies, best friends and spent hours talking about hunting, fishing and Ranger boats. Max’s true character came through when hunting and fishing. He was kind, patient and always wanted to make sure our kids had the best experiences when they were with him.
On a weekend in the summer of 2017, Max took our son and a friend to our cabin on Little Oak Island for the whole weekend. Mountain Dew’s, frozen pizzas and other snacks packed up, they set off for a “bachelors” weekend on the island. Even though the boys were younger than Max, I knew he would keep them safe. He was so thoughtful that, even though I hadn’t asked, he texted me throughout the weekend to ensure that we knew they were having fun and staying safe. They caught fish, swam and made memories that cannot be replicated.
In the fall, Max would take our girls deer hunting with him and seemed more excited to see them shoot the deer rather than shooting the deer himself. Three years ago he and our oldest daughter were hunting in a stand together. They both saw a doe come in and behind it was a large, 10-point buck. Instead of telling her “This one’s mine.”, Max whispered to her “Take him!”. He gave up a chance at a trophy buck so that my daughter could have that opportunity. He then proceeded to dress the deer and “guide” her home to show off the buck. He didn’t need the glory – he wanted her to have it.
The same was true when he went hunting with our middle daughter last fall. They were hunting together, but in different stands. She shot an 8 point buck. Again, Max helped her. He field dressed the deer for her and then helped her quarter it later than night. He always went the extra mile.
We could always count on Max for a good conversation, a friendly smile at the end of a dock and lighting up our family’s times together. Max was like another member of our family and we approach life differently because of him and our loss. He gave us memories that cannot ever be taken away and we are all so thankful for our time with Max. Like anyone else who knew him, we just wish we could have more.