William “Bill” Vincent Hegedusich CMSgt, USAFR (Ret), passed on to eternal rest on Tuesday, Oct 10, 2017, at the age of 88 years old.
Bill was born in Vienna, OH on Jan 12, 1929, to the late Anthony and Stella(Shilling) Hegedusich. His family moved to Youngstown, where he attended South High School and graduated in 1947. Upon graduation from high school, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and served on active duty for three years, being stationed in Japan during the allied occupation following World War II.
On Sept 1, 1951, Bill married the former Cecilia Blazo and soon after built a home in the Cornersburg area, where they raised their three children and resided for over 60 years.
Upon returning from military service, Bill was a home builder for Staffrey Construction before joining the Youngstown Police Department, where he proudly served as a uniformed police officer for 14 years. In 1966, he left the police department to become the Facilities and Maintenance Superintendent at the Ursuline Motherhouse in Canfield. He spent 27 years there, where the sisters affectionately referred to him as “Mr. Bill”.
After Bill’s 3 years of active duty military service, he transitioned to the Air Force Reserve, proudly and honorably serving his country for an additional 27 years. He was assigned to the 757th Air Maintenance Squadron at the Youngstown Air Reserve Base, where he was responsible for maintenance operations for a variety of aircraft. He retired from the Air Force in 1981 with a total of 30 years of service, having attained the rank of Chief Master Sergeant.
Bill enjoyed hunting, fishing, and trap shooting, and was a lifetime member of the Mahoning Sportsmen’s Association in Hillsville, Pa, where he held several leadership positions. He was also a lifetime member of the Saxon Club in Youngstown, where he served for several years as a trustee. Bill served as an adult leader for Boy Scout Troop 144 and was a member of the Order of the Arrow, and he also coached his sons’ teams with the Mill Creek Junior Baseball League. He was a longtime parishioner of St Christine Catholic Church where he was an usher and member of the finance committee, as well as a member of the Infant of Prague Society. He was a 4th Degree member of the Knights of Columbus. Bill enjoyed woodworking and construction and tinkering in his shop, and was often called on by friends and family to build something or fix something.
Although Bill was always a strong and active man, he endured several medical issues over the past five years that left him bed-ridden and wheelchair-bound. Through it all, he maintained his positive outlook on life and keen sense of wit. He was an inspiration to all who were blessed to know him, and he will be dearly missed.
Bill is preceded in death by his parents, sisters Genevieve Hegedusich, Jeanne Niziolek, and Mildred Baytos, and brothers George and Edward. He is survived by his wife of 66 years Cecilia, daughter Carol Gillingham (Kenneth), sons William (Mary) and David (Mary), grandchildren Kenneth Dan, William, Sarah, and Michael, great-grandchildren Cooper and Kenneth Dan III, and numerous nieces and nephews.
A Funeral Service will be held on Monday, October 16, 2017 at 10:00am at St. Christine's Church in Youngstown. Friends may call one hour prior, from 9am to 10am at the church.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to St Christine Catholic Church in Youngstown.

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