CHARLES MACKENZIE HEDLUND

1938 - 2021

HEDLUND, Charles MacKenzie Chef and Newsboy Charles MacKenzie Hedlund of Pittsfield passed away from complications of Covid-19 on January 22, 2021. Mr. Hedlund, born in Braintree, Massachusetts, was the oldest of five sons of Thelma C. (MacKenzie) Hedlund and John Albert Hedlund, both deceased. Mr. Hedlund attended Braintree public schools through the eighth grade, then won a full scholarship to Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. Later, he attended Columbia University and Boston University. Charles loved to cook and made it his lifelong career. In the 1960's, he started a career as a cook and chef in the Boston area, including working at famed Boston restaurants Locke-Ober and Pier 4. He later moved with his family to the Berkshires, as a chef at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge. He also worked at additional top restaurants in the Berkshires, including Blantyre Castle, and for his good friend Al Weinman, at the restaurant called The Restaurant in Lenox. His career also took him to top restaurants in Washington, DC and the Los Angeles area in California. Arrangements are by the Dery Funeral Home in PITTSFIELD. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, a memorial gathering will be planned at a later date. To view full obituary, please visit www.DeryFuneralHome.com

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