A Service of Witness to the Resurrection in Thanksgiving for Bill’s life will be held at 4:00 pm on January 15, 2018, at the St. Andrew Presbyterian Church of Albuquerque. A reception will follow the service.
Bill was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, on September 27, 1939. He graduated from Warren High School in Warren, Arkansas, in 1957, and was valedictorian of his class. He went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Music (Trumpet Performance) from Davidson College in 1961 and then matriculated at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, receiving the Bachelor of Divinity Degree in 1965.
Between his second and third year of seminary, Bill was awarded a Rotary Foundation Fellowship that allowed him to study at the Kirchliche Hochschule in West Berlin. Later, he completed a Doctorate of Theology in New Testament at the Graduate Theological Union in San Francisco, California. His dissertation was on a chapter in the biblical book of Revelation.
During his nearly 40 years of active service as a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) minister, Bill served as pastor of First Presbyterian in Natchitoches, Louisiana; St. Andrew Presbyterian in Longview, Texas; Trinity Presbyterian in Midland, Texas; and Second Presbyterian in St. Louis, Missouri
For 13 years, he was Vice President for Development at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, Texas. Those years as a development officer turned Bill into something of an expert on stewardship, and led him to quip, “My two areas of expertise are the things no one in the Church wants to talk about, the book of Revelation and stewardship!” Bill was a dearly beloved pastor, preacher, and teacher. He was an extremely sensitive listener”to biblical texts and to people. Passionate about ministries of social justice, he was often a leader in creating such ministries in the communities in which he served.
The Rev. Dr. Hedrick was married to the Rev. Dr. Anna Catherine Robinson for 29 years. Partners in life and in ministry, Catherine and Bill never served a church together, but they always approached their work as a team. More than that, however, they were committed to creating family. When they married, they had an immediate family with Bill’s children, Mark and Joy, who were teenagers at the time.<
Later, they adopted George, an infant from Taiwan. Bill adored his children. Indeed, as important as Bill's ministry was to him, absolutely nothing was more important than his vocation as father. Bill also loved music, describing himself as "a has-been trumpeter and a would-be tenor." In fact, he had a lovely tenor voice, & he even soloed once with the Midland Symphony and Chorus.
He also enjoyed mystery and spy novels, and he really delighted in eating sweets! One of his grandchildren was particularly amused by his saying, "The worst ice cream I ever had¦.was TERRIFIC!"
For the last ten years of his life, Bill lived with multiple health challenges – myelofibrosis, Parkinson's, and finally, an above the knee amputation. He did so, however, with incredible grace and humor. After his amputation, he announced, "Now I can be the peg-legged pastor with Parkinson's!" Those who knew and loved Bill were indeed impressed with his dignity in these circumstances, but we rejoice that he now lives fully restored in the loving embrace of the God he worshiped.
Bill is survived by his wife, Anna Catherine Robinson; his three children, Mark William Hedrick, Joy Elaine Maguire (Bill Maguire), and George Kimbro Hedrick.
He is also survived by three grandchildren, Lily Elizabeth Maguire, Daniel William Hedrick, and Ryan William Maguire; his sisters, Ellen Kay Bacon (Tom) and Margaret Jane Beachboard (James); several nieces and nephews; and countless members of the churches he served.
He was preceded in death by his sister, Mary Elizabeth Causey and his parents, Kimbro Young and Joel Dean Hedrick.
In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be given to: St. Andrew Presbyterian Church of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Austin, Texas; and Second Presbyterian Church of St. Louis, MO.
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