HEGEMAN-JOEY

 

Excerpts from obituary published in Salt Lake Tribune on September 20, 2009:

 

Joey William (Bill) Hegeman, Captain, USN (Ret), died on September 16, 2009.  We have a huge hole in our hearts as he lost his battle with melanoma.  Bill was a native of Vallejo, California, who made his home in Draper, Utah.  He was a man who served.  He graduated from the California Maritime Academy in 1956 and retired 34 years later, a distinguished Captain in the intelligence community.  He served aboard the USS RANDOLPH, USS GURKE, and as Commanding Officer of USS UMPQUA.  Many sea stories later, Bill joined Naval Intelligence and served in Vietnam at the height of the conflict, earning the Bronze Star with Combat Valor.  The Hegeman family also saw tours in Washington, DC, Greece and Japan where he was the Commanding Officer of the Naval Investigative Service Office, Japan.  Congress authorized an extension of Bill's statutory retirement so that he could command the Office of DoD Inspector General in Wiesbaden, Germany.  In addition to the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the German government awarded Bill the German Silver Cross.  In his retirement he nurtured his roses and his grandchildren.  He enjoyed running his LGB trains with his dear friends.  The same hands that carved laps in the swimming pool, defended Mud Island at the Russian River, thumped Adam's apples, and devastated opponents in thumb-wars, comforted grandchildren, rescued frogs from window wells, and nursed orchids back to health.  They made hot chocolate how it is supposed to be made, with whole milk and marshmallow creme.  Bill defended order to the end.  Before he lost the ability to stand, he used the last of his strength to sort the recycling.  He was "green" when green wasn't cool.  Bill is survived by his wife, four daughters and seven grandchildren.  Captain Hegeman has been buried at the Utah State Veterans Cemetery in Riverton, Utah.

 

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)