Obituary of Steve Hendrickson

Stephen Matthew Hendrickson, a resident of Santa Cruz since 2018, died unexpectedly on September 13, 2021. Steve was the beloved oldest son of Mike and Kate Hendrickson of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, and brother to Michael and Zack. Steve was well-loved by his large family and friends across the country, all of whom mourn his sudden passing. We are profoundly grateful to the long-time friends he made before high school and in college who blessed his life, and in turn, ours: Dustin, his mom Dinah (who was a second mom to Steve), Tara, Foz, Art, and Alston. Steve was in the midst of plans to spend his future with his loving girlfriend, Lauren, and her delightful son Wyatt. Steve was born outside of Philadelphia, and from a young age was a devoted Philadelphia sports fan. He even celebrated the Eagles victory the night before he died. He loved the food and the people, and returned whenever he could. After moving to Florida, Steve cultivated his talent for cooking while a student at Florida State University, and he became a chef in some of Florida's—and later California's—finest restaurants. He was mentored by wonderful chefs who invested in his potential, and he enjoyed returning the favor by helping aspiring cooks. We believe Steve would have loved our idea to invite you to donate in his name to C-CAP, a successful culinary program that provides culinary, job, and life skills to over 20,000 under-served middle and high school students in 7 regions across the US, including his hometown, Philadelphia. Please go to https://ccapinc.org/