Charles Billy Hedrick

Dad lived to be 92, he passed at home surrounded by family in Eldersburg, MD on the 247th birthday of the Army and Flag Day 06-14-2022.

He kept his sense of humor, wit, and sharp memory until his last moment.

He loved his 6 children, their spouses, grandchildren and great-grandchildren deeply. He was a grandfather to 12, a great-grandfather to 9 and 1 on the way. His pride could be no more evident then when he spent time with them and they spoke of their successes, challenges, dreams and lives in general. He would stop what he was doing to help his family. His role as a father-in-law was enriching to the fearless few who married into the Hedrick clan and have stuck it out.

It cannot go unsaid that our mother, Mee Mee, and her mother, Mama, had a huge role in raising us, much of the time single handedly, which allowed dad the ability to do all of what he accomplished in life. The 3 of them as a unit, a team, got us to where we are today. It wasn’t always easy because we really had them outnumbered 2 to 1.And he thought war was tough.

He was a brave, highly decorated soldier who fought with valor from the day he enlisted in the Army, going in at the end of WWII, served in Vietnam, Korea and although we never witnessed, we understand upon his immediate return from war, suffered PTSD at a time when it had no name.

He was courageous until his final breath. He is a hero, quite literally, a flag flying patriot, a mentor, a confidant, and a wonderful father who we are so proud to call our friend. He lived a long life and although it wasn’t long enough for us, he left knowing that he did a great job. This is how he will be best remembered. We love you dad.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Charles' name to Disabled American Veterans and/or Veterans of Foreign Wars .

Veterans of Foreign War
406 W. 34th Street, Kansas City MO 64111
Tel: 1-816-756-3390
Web: https://www.vfw.org/contact-us

Disabled American Veterans
Web: https://secure.dav.org/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app30131a?df_id=22292&mfc_pref=T&22292.don