David Roland Hedrich was born on December 2nd, 1935 in Milwaukee (Shorewood), Wisconsin, the only child of Roland Louis Hedrich and Lauretta Passow. He died at 83 years old of a blood disorder on August 24th, 2019, in Boise Idaho, at home with family gathered around him.

He was survived at the time of his death by his wife Mary Anne (nee McCormick), his four children Anne Hedrich (Paul Rogers), Laura Hedrich (Peter Venslauskus, d.), Katie Hedrich (Tony Restuccia), and Sarah Warner (Ken), and grandchildren Emmon Rogers, Leidy Rogers, and Mackenzie Warner.

Dave was an active and adventurous young man, being involved in high school activities at Washington High School in Milwaukee, going on long bike trips with his friend Peter to northern Michigan in his mid teens, and relishing the travel involved in his active duty time in the U.S. Navy.

He met Mary Anne McCormick in college at the University of Michigan. Despite his puzzlement at her headstrongness, they found a common sense of purpose and adventure, and they were married in August 1958, just after graduating from college and just before stating his active naval duty.

He spent the years of 1958-1961 in active service in the U.S. Navy, based in Oakland, California, Bremerton, Washington, and San Diego, California. During his time on the aircraft carrier Bon Homme Richard he traveled to places in south, southeast, and east Asia. Upon completion of active service, he returned to the University of Michigan and earned a Master’s Degree in Forest and Soil Hydrology.

Dave was a builder, designing and developing businesses and programs throughout his career in the U.S. Forest Service and as an entrepreneur. He was an early part of the development of the hydrology program in the U.S. Forest Service in the 1960s. He later started several businesses in aviation, travel, and real estate.

Optimistic, enthusiastic, and loyal, Dave appreciated both natural beauty and comforts created by people. He saw the best in people, giving them his full confidence.

Despite the dignity and experience gained from ascending to the rank of Commander in the Navy Reserves, he was regularly overruled and outvoted by his family members, which he took with impressive grace, aplomb, and equanimity. This may have been his superpower, as he regularly rolled through such events unfazed, even enjoying the attention of his 70th birthday roast.

He gave a solid annual performance of the reading of the Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert Service at family Christmas gatherings, and had a tiny repertoire of really bad dad jokes (a few with R rating) that he told for the first time, over and over again.

His loves in his life were aviation and being a pilot, his family, and the time of day the sun goes below the yardarm when, as sailors know, the fun would start. Cheers to you Dave, Dad, Far, Morfar, for a life well-loved and well-lived.

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