Thomas Henry Hedges was born on July 21, 1962, to Eugene “Gene” and Lola Hedges at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Tom joined the United States Army upon graduation from high school in 1981. He met and married the love of his life, Lori Hedges, in October of 1987.
In 2005, Lori and Tom welcomed their only child, Tommy, who was born after seventeen years of marriage. Tom’s happiest days were spent with Tommy working alongside him at the family home “The Party Shack” and enjoying regular camping adventures with his family.
Tom began his second career with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office in January of 1985 where we was a dedicated law enforcement officer for 32 years. During this tenure, Tom serviced as the School Resource Deputy at A. Crawford Mosley High School for thirteen years where he helped shape the lives of thousands of young people. Many former students credit Tom with calling them out when they were out of line and making sure they stayed on the right path, including graduating from high school. He was affectionately referred to as the Disney character “Shrek” because of his green uniform and extremely tough appearance coupled with his enormous heart.
This commitment to improving the lives of others extended beyond the schoolyard as Tom served for many years helping to coordinate the Bay County Sheriff’s Wilderness Camp. Following his retirement from the sheriff’s department, Tom was not finished serving the youth of Bay County as he went on to become a School Resource Officer with the Bay District Schools Police Department serving Cedar Grove Elementary School from 2018-2022. While working as a deputy, Tom also served as the Volunteer Fire Chief for Fountain and Bear Creek-Youngstown for over fifteen years. He was also instrumental in establishing the 911 Stair Climb event to commemorate the countless heroes lost on that faithful day in history.
The students and citizens of Bay County are the true benefactors of Tom’s many years of community service. Despite the continuous struggles with his health and recent trips to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Tom continued to show up for his family and his community.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Lola Hedges; and his brother Howard Hedges.
Those left to cherish his memories are his wife of 36 years, Lori Hedges; son Tommy Hedges; father Eugene “Gene” Hedges and his wife Alice Hedges; and brothers David Hedges (wife Terri) of Berlin, Maryland and Donny Hedges (wife Donna) of Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Tom passed on Christmas Day in the loving company of Lori and Tommy at HCA Florida Gulf Coast Hospital.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, December 29th at 10:10 AM at Hiland Park Baptist Church with Dr. Ricky Plummer officiating. The starting time of 10:10 AM is to recognize the daily messages that Tom always sent to Lori to commemorate their wedding anniversary of October 10th (10/10).
A sunset Ash Spreading Ceremony will be held at a later date at St. Andrews State Park. More details to follow.
