Lester Hendrickson of Mesa, Ariz., sits next to the statue he commissioned of his parents, Otto and Anna Hendrickson. They were longtime residents of Republic. The statue will reside in the cemetery next to the graves of Lester's four brothers. (Submitted photo)

REPUBLIC — The last remaining son of lifelong Republic residents Otto Henry (October 1904 – September 1987) and Anna “Esther” Hendrickson (January 1907 – December 2001) recently gathered the descendants of his parents for a special occasion — the dedication of a bronze statue in their honor. The statue will permanently reside in the Republic Cemetery.

Lester Hendrickson of Mesa, Ariz., commissioned the statue from an artist in Provo, Utah, to honor his parents’ legacy and the accomplishments of the generations that followed. The statue, depicting Otto and Esther, is situated near their headstone and among the gravesites of four of their five sons — Melvin, Kenneth, Wesley and Curtis.

More than 30 relatives traveled from across the country to witness the dedication ceremony on July 20.

Hendrickson said he hopes the statue will “serve as a visual reminder for any of the Hendrickson descendants, if they ever come back to Republic, that not only can they have a look at the gravestones of their ancestors, but they’ll have an idea of what they (Otto and Esther) looked like.”

Otto and Esther were first-generation Americans. Both of their parents immigrated from Finland in the late 1800s and settled in Republic, which Hendrickson recalled as a “booming town” during the mining and lumber era.

When Republic was first settled, a rich iron ore deposit was discovered just south of town in a subdivision known as Park City. “It was the richest iron ore deposit in the world,” Hendrickson said.

Park City no longer exists; its homes were moved to what has become South Republic to make way for mining operations.

Hendrickson recalled that both Otto and Esther spoke Finnish at home and only began learning English when they started school. Neither pursued education beyond the eighth grade. “Their families were large, and there was work to be done at home,” he said.

The couple married in October 1926. Their first son, Melvin — known as “Memo” — was born in 1928. Memo held a variety of jobs and operated the Shell gas station in Republic, which Hendrickson described as “more like a community center where people gathered on Sunday mornings.” Memo also worked as a rural mail carrier for 28 years, and retired after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Memo died in 2001.

Kenneth, their second son, was born in 1930. After high school, he moved to Illinois in search of work, served in Japan during the Korean War, and later earned a degree in metallurgy from Michigan Technological University. He was hired by General Electric and lived in New York until his early death in 1988.

Wesley, born in 1935, was known as the athlete of the family. He became the national ski jumping champion in 1956 and later worked in mining safety, water softener sales and burial planning. An avid pilot, Wesley taught his wife how to land a plane “just in case.” He passed away in 2009.

The youngest son, Curtis, was born in 1944. He earned his undergraduate degree from Northern Michigan University and completed dental school at the University of Michigan. He practiced dentistry in Green Bay for 48 years before his death in 2023.

Lester Hendrickson, born in 1940, followed his brother Kenneth’s path to Michigan Tech, where he studied metallurgy. He later earned a PhD in materials science engineering and physics from the University of Illinois. He spent 40 years as a professor at Arizona State University and served as an international consultant and forensic engineering expert. Upon his retirement, the ASU engineering college established the Dr. Lester E. Hendrickson Teaching and Excellence Award, first awarded in 2025.

Though life in Republic was simple, Hendrickson said, the family was resourceful. “My dad could always figure out how to make a living, even though he never made enough money to send any of us to college,” he said. “But they took good care of us, and they knew that if you’re going to succeed, you have to have an education. That’s what they always emphasized: make sure you get good grades in school and don’t be afraid to work hard.”

He added, “I think the outlook they gave their children on life was very positive, and it followed, I think, with very good results.”

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Leslie Thatcher is the senior news director for KPCW Radio in Park City, Utah, and is married to Duane Hendrickson, one of the 14 grandchildren of Otto and Esther Hendrickson.