Duane Hedman

Duane Hedman
May 8, 1947 ~ March 16, 2010

Name: Duane P. Hedman
Life Dates: 5/8/1947 - 3/16/2010
City Of Birth: Rochester, NY
Pre-deceased by
Duane is predeceased by his brother, Roy Hedman; sister, Mary Trotter.
History
He is survived by his wife, Debbie Verosky Hedman; siblings, Dale (Wanda) Hedman, Margaret (Joe) Wilson, Les (Irene) Hedman, Pam Hedman, Kathy Hedman; father-in-law, Joseph Verosky; brothers-in-law, Dave (Marlene) Verosky, Joe (Sandy) Verosky; sister-in-law, Danielle Verosky; many nieces, nephews cousins.
Donations
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Rochester, NY Inc., 333 Westmoreland Drive, Rochester, NY 14620 in Duane's memory.
Services
BARTOLOMEO PEROTTO Funeral Home, Inc. 1411 Vintage Lane (between Rte 390 Long Pond Rd) where Duane's visitation will be Friday April 30 4-8 PM. Duane's Funeral Service will be celebrated at 8 PM following visitation. Interment private.
Additional Information
Duane was born in the late spring of 1947 on May 8 in Rochester, New York. He was the oldest son of Leslie and Mary Hedman and had seven brothers and sisters. He grew up in Rochester attending Benjamin Franklin through high school and at the age of 18 enlisted in the Navy to serve his country. Duane spent 2 years riding the seas as a Boatswain Mate on the aircraft carrier USS Forestall and was honorably discharged, completing his service and returning to the private sector. After departing Bausch Lomb, he was hired into the Eastman Kodak Company and worked in both the film and camera division as a Planner for 24 years. As the business direction at Kodak changed so did Duane's direction for career path. He moved into the financial sector of Xerox/General Electric and spent 8 years with the company and in the fall of 2009, with a huge smile, retired.
In 1980 Duane met Debbie and in September of 1982 they were married in Rochester. After living in Cornhill for several years, in 1985 they choose to set up house in the north Greece area on Old Tavern Circle where they lived until 2009. Whether living on Old Tavern Circle, at South Shore RV Park, or Blueberry Hill RV Park, Duane and Debbie were friends with many of their neighbors and also enjoyed the company of many co-workers from Eastman Kodak and Xerox. The grill was always going at their home as Duane enjoyed the serenade of his boom box or radio and the comfort of his lawn chair or bucket as he patiently created endless charcoaled master pieces. Duane was the "Grill Master"! He had spent some time as a chef at local restaurants and loved to cook. His culinary talents were not limited to the grill however; he could spin one mean dish off the stove or out of the skillet. You name the occasion and Duane had a rub, recipe, gravy or marinade to make it special.
There were very few quiet moments for the "Big D". Duane had many nieces and nephews on both sides of his family. He attended sporting events, concerts, plays, Christmas shows, graduations and many other special events as many of the children grew up. He always had time for a conversation and to teach little hands how to bait a hook or take off a fish. He was affectionately known as Uncle Duane; Uncle Duh; Uncle Drane, and of course to all of us as the "Big D". Duane took a special interest in his nieces and nephews often times engaging them in personal conversation as to what they were currently doing or what their future might have in store for them. He was very encouraging and always seemed to have an available ear to listen to stories or very exciting news.
If we were to say that Duane was pretty diverse in what he chose throughout his life that would be an understatement. A question better asked is "What didn't he like or try?". He led a full life with stories, adventures (mostly of his own doing) and all kinds of excitement and experiences. You could sit with him and at any given time be listening to Blues-Oldies-Jazz-Instrumental-Contemporary-Rock or even a little Country Western. He loved the outdoors and as a fisherman, when he wasn't a hunter, loved to visit the big city after spending the weekend at a remote lake or woods, before previously vacationing on tropical islands, or the west coast that he was planning to visit in his RV that was being pulled by the "Big Papa" double axel truck, after riding his bucking bronco at the dude ranch. His favorite food? Chinese-Mexican-Ribs-Chicken-Redlinsky hams- Crab legs-mac/potato salad-steak-fratatas-pierogies-raw oysters-clams-shrimp to name a few. It was hard to keep up with him and no one enjoyed a wonderful meal more than Duane. Regardless of where he was, Duane had the uncanny ability to quietly slip into a nap, as his tummy meter hit the full mark, only to have his eyes open wide a short time later ready to go. It truly was a gift!
There are many ways to describe Duane. He was a loving husband, caring brother, wonderful uncle; a faithful and sincere friend; an excellent listener being very thoughtful and empathetic when he spoke; respected by family, friends and co-workers. He didn't involve himself in gossip or others business; didn't offer unwanted opinions or insist on having his say in matters. It was just important to him to listen and bridge the gap between others when he was able to do so. His family and many close friends were very important to him. He was square in the middle of many of the events that they were involved in lending himself to be a part of what was going on; always with a smile and a laid back attitude. Amidst the craziness he would often say "It'll be okay" and it was. The Big "D" was very special in many ways; loved by his family and many of his friends that he shared his life with. When we think of Duane, it's not hard to envision him sitting in his chair outside with a group of people around him or maybe only one person...he's listening and having a conversation; the box is on...maybe the grill is smoking...and every once in a while a deep laugh followed by a little giggle; an Uhuh followed by Yep and then that great big smile as the hours roll by and if you ask him he'll tell you "It doesn't get much better than this!" That's for sure.