The San Diego Chapter was saddened when long-time IPMS member Joel Hendricks passed away unexpectedly on Jan 14, 2025 at the age of 64.  As club secretary, Joel was predeceased by his dear wife Rosann.  He is survived by his two sons, Joel and Matt and their families, including a granddaughter.

The club secretary for years, Joel was also an enthusiastic volunteer behind the scenes.  Always involved, he managed the kit opportunity drawings at the annual Model Expo and was the lively auctioneer for our kit auctions.  Joel also took on the exacting task of ordering and managing the club's custom T-shirts, Hawaiian shirts, and hats.

Joel led an exciting life as a firefighter for over 30 years with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, CAL FIRE.  He was involved in countless forest, brush, and structural fires, with enough hair-raising stories to fill a book.   As a member of a helitack team he often rode to forest fires in a helicopter and was dropped off with minimal equipment, literally in the smoke and heat of the front lines.

After retiring in 2012, Joel was thrilled to spend more time on his many interests.  A collector at heart, he enjoyed model railroads, live steam trains, photography, woodworking, reading, music and collecting rocks, fossils, & gems.  Naturally, he had also accumulated a considerable stash of model kits.

Joel was pleased to be a member of many clubs and organizations, and truly found joy in the groups of which he chose to be a part, especially the San Diego Chapter of IPMS.  For him it was an escape from a lifetime of emotionally and physically taxing work. 

Cordial and genuine, his smile and humor always brightened up his surroundings and those around him.  A friend to all, Joel is truly missed by each of us whose life he touched.