Paul S. Kendrick

Paul Stephen Kendrick was born April 15, 1958, in the home of Mrs. Margaret Laird at Ippy, Central African Republic. His missionary parents, Vernard “Ben” and Nina (Brownell) Kendrick raised their son and his siblings in the heart of Africa. Paul attended Garrison Elementary School in Shickshinny, Pennsylvania and Milner Memorial Elementary Boarding School at Kaga-Bondodo in Africa. He had many fond memories of the adventures he shared with his friends at both schools.

When Paul attended Cedar Hill Christian School, Cleveland Heights, Ohio. After graduating from high school Paul continued his education at Pensacola Christian College in Florida. He lived with his parents in Xenia, Ohio before moving to the Cleveland area, and later to Martinsville, Indiana where he was well known at the Golden Corral for his sausage gravy sprinkled liberally with pepper! One of his most fun memories was washing and detailing country singer Bobby Helmes’ car at the car wash where he worked. He also worked at the Karma store there and was a walking textbook of all genres of music and movies. Ask Paul about a band, a lead singer, or an actor in a movie and he had their name at the ready. He enjoyed attending several concerts and especially a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert with friends.

Paul had a sunny personality that made him friends wherever he went and in Martinsville he was widely known as “Spider”. He moved from Martinsville to Greenwood and then to Warsaw, Indiana where he lived with his mother and lovingly cared for her until her death in 2019. From there he moved to his little cottage at Beaver Dam Lake where he lived the rest of his life enjoying his home, music and movies, his pets, watching the sunsets on the lake and enjoying the friendliness of his neighbors, several in particular, who shoveled his walk and parking area, baked him cookies, and took in his trash can from the curb and watched out for him unobtrusively. He used his artistic abilities to create whimsical drawings with colored pencils and chalk and illustrated the cover of a Christian book, Vagabond Road. He was always up for a road trip, even if just riding along to enjoy the company and some scenery and some fast food! His favorite meal was a bacon cheeseburger and onion rings.

Paul’s later years were filled with many big medical challenges which he bore with grace and humor, no matter how painful or uncomfortable he was. His standard reply was “It’s OK.” Paul’s earthly journey was ended at Stillwater Hospice in Fort Wayne, Indiana on April 2, 2025, when he went home to his Lord and Savior after a sudden illness and a brief hospice stay.

He attended the First Freewill Baptist Church of Kosciusko County on County Farm when his health permitted and was always encouraged by his church family.

Paul was preceded in death by his parents, brother “Pete” Kendrick, and grandparents, William Beach and Lilly (Lutz) Kendrick and Stanley and Muriel (Pettit) Brownell, and several aunts and uncles. Left to cherish his memory is his sister Pamela (Jeff) Cook, niece Erin (James) Davis, great-niece Savannah Beigh and great-nephew Maddux Davis, his sister-in-law Debbie Kendrick, nephew Kris Kendrick, his beloved terrier Zeke, and his cats KiKi and Punkin.

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 Corinthians 5:1

Arrangements are entrusted to McHatton-Sadler Funeral Chapel, Warsaw, Indiana. No calling is planned. A Celebration of Paul’s remarkable time on earth will be held at a later date. The family wants to thank the Burket Fire Department first responders, Lutheran EMS, Parkview Regional medical staff, the ladies from Clarkson Transport, and the wonderful staff at Stillwater Hospice who cared for him as well as friends and neighbors who showed their concern and prayed with him and for him during his final days.