Lt. Col. Truman Johnson Hedding

1928 - 2017

Hedding, Lt. Col. Truman Johnson, Jr.
Lt. Col. Truman Johnson Hedding, Jr. passed away peacefully on July 17th, 2017 in Mesa, AZ. His ashes will be scattered in the "wild blue yonder" above the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, AZ. Son of a pioneering naval aviator and a prominent Milwaukee socialite, Truman was born in 1928 and grew up in Milwaukee, WI making lifelong friends of all fellow 1946 graduates from Milwaukee Country Day Schools, now known as University School of Milwaukee. Known as "Jake" to family and friends, he was also a lifelong "Packer backer!" After graduation from Brown University in 1950, Jake married the first love of his life, "Margot" Van Wagenen, great niece of Francis McGovern, governor of Wisconsin. Together, Jake and Margot raised five children. Sadly, their time together was cut short by her untimely death in 1982. Their marriage also marks the beginning of a distinguished 30 year Air Force career, during which Jake served our nation and family as a patriot and role model in the Korean and Vietnam wars earning many awards, the highest of which is the Bronze Star. After becoming an Officer, Jake earned his Missile Badge. The Air Force sent him to earn an Electrical Engineering Degree at the University of Oklahoma. From there he went on to teach technical school avionics and a career maintaining aircraft, finishing as an Air Division Chief of Logistics and retiring at Luke A.F.B. Jake's Air Force assignments moved his family throughout the United States, including Hawai'i and the Phillippines. In retirement, Jake became a financial adviser helping others thrive financially, but the lifelong call of "the wild blue yonder" motivated him to start flying gliders at an airport north of Phoenix. He liked it so much he quit his adviser job and quickly became the operations director. Jake was a natural, quickly becoming a glider instructor. He shared his passion for flying by demonstrating and teaching others who also heard the call of the "blue yonder." His prodigious flying skills in glider acrobatics propelled him to a National Championship Title in Acrobatics and appointment by the FAA as Designated Glider Examiner, a unique and distinctive honor. Following the call of the "wild blue yonder," Jake also heard the call of the second love of his life, Davene Harris, and very wisely followed her. Davene - a dynamic and passionate woman whose love for Jake was shared and felt by his children – not only cheered his flying adventures, but also inspired their world travels. From living in Germany and England and sight-seeing Europe to the Great Wall of China, from the Caribbean and Bahamas to South America, from the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas to a safari in Africa, Jake left no stone unturned, achieving all he set out to do – a life well lived. Jake is survived by his wife Davene, 2 sisters (Michelle and Joan), 10 children (John, Pete, Kathy and Matt, Mike and Chayla, Marty and Cody, Vicki and David), 12 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.