Amelia Kendrick

Amelia Ann Johnson Kendrick died at home on June 23, 2018, after an extended illness. She was 86. Born in Cookeville, she was the youngest of the five children born to H. Brett Johnson and Ura Scott Johnson. Amelia's father served as Putnam Co. Trustee, as well as being an entrepreneur, owing a grocery store on the courthouse square, the first local Ford Motor Company car dealership and the Johnson Ford Tractor and Implement Co. Amelia is survived by her husband of 64 years, Wendell, sons, Eddie Kendrick (Elizabeth) and John Kendrick (Shelia) of Cookeville, Scott Kendrick (Lynn), Nashville, and grandchildren, Taylor and Hailey Kendrick. She is also survived by her sister, Claudine Johnson Branch. She is preceded in death by her brother, George Harvey Johnson and sisters, Betty Johnson Rich and Mary Ruth Johnson. Surviving cousins are Permelia Scott Elmore, William A. Cameron, and Joseph W. Hill, all of Cookeville. Amelia grew up in Cookeville on the Johnson family's 160 acre farm, located on Algood Rd. (now 10th St.) The family sold a portion of the farm to establish the Cookeville Country Club. Amelia attended Tennessee Polytechnic Institute (now Tennessee Tech University) where she met Wendell and they were married March 18, 1954. She left TPI just six credit hours shy of graduating to move to Karlsruhe, Germany, when Wendell received an assignment with the US Army during the Korean War. They returned to Cookeville in 1956, with two year old Eddie. Scott and John shortly followed. Amelia was a full time mom until her children reached their teenage years. She then entered the workforce, serving as the office manager, bookkeeper and interim manager of the Cookeville Country Club, retiring after 26 years. Amelia was a lifelong member of First Baptist Church, which her father helped reorganize. She was actively involved in the lives of her three sons, serving in school organizations and as a Cub Scout leader. Amelia loved to garden, quilt, crochet, and cook. She enjoyed her bridge group for over 30 years until her memory declined and she had difficulty remembering the cards. She was a charter member of the Mended Hearts Organization, (to support heart disease awareness) at Cookeville Regional Hospital and a volunteer to post-op heart patients and their families. Amelia had a quick wit, always had a smile on her face, and served Christ by serving the less fortunate and elderly. She adored her husband of 64 years, and her children admire the example they provided in a loving marriage. The family would like to thank her longtime physician, Dr. Donna Scudder of Nashville. Thanks also to wonderful caregivers, Khiristy Billingsly, Sandy Tayes, Melanie Dillon and the hospice care staff of Caris Healthcare. Funeral services are at 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 27 at the Cookeville Chapel of Hooper Huddleston and Horner Funeral Home. Interment will follow at Cookeville City Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the funeral home Tuesday from 5 - 8 p.m. and again Wednesday from 10 a.m. until the service time. You may share your thoughts and memories at www.hhhfunerals.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Mended Hearts, Inc., Chapter 127, c/o Carolyn Smith, Treasurer, 588 Old Qualls Rd., Cookeville, TN 38506; Cookeville Regional Medical Foundation/Cancer Fund, 1 Medical Center Bvld, Cookeville, TN 38501; Alzheimer's Tennessee, Inc., 1459 Interstate Dr. Ste 211, Cookeville, TN 38501, or the First Baptist Church, 18 S. Walnut Ave., Cookeville, TN 38501.