H. Max Hedges

Harold Max Hedges was born on September 3, 1933. Everybody knew him as Max. As he would say, “Harold is my father”. Max. A short name for a man big in generosity, friends, and heart. He was raised in Enid, then later Oklahoma City, with his two sisters.

No matter where he roamed, he always came back to Oklahoma. Max became a CPA and used that talent in many ways. His career took him to Albuquerque and back home to OKC to join his father at Hedges, Hampton, and Hedges, to Amarillo where he co-owned a transport company, and back here to open his own accounting firm, providing accounting, property, and investment management. Along the way, he offered services at a feedlot in Kansas and as Comptroller with Spring Air Mattress locally. A fiercely independent person, Max said he never worked a day in his life, that he simply spent time doing what he liked with people that he liked. His clients became his friends and loved him as family.

He never gave up his love of travel, and boating was his passion. He would often invite friends and family aboard, from the Eufaula houseboat to the big boat “Jamais” in which he traversed the Gulf and the Mississippi River. He chose the name Jamais, and the name mirrored his indomitable spirit, the French word for “never,” symbolizing his determination to live life his way, to never succumb to doing something just because others said he should.

He served in Germany in the Army Artillery and once faced Russian tanks amassing at the border. He graduated from OSU (then Oklahoma A&M) where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta. He always remained a huge fan of his Cowboys. He served as a deacon at his Lutheran church and as president of the high I.Q. society Mensa.

It was no surprise that his favorite song was Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” And his way is exactly how he lived. Brimming with confidence and always eager to learn something new, he acquired many skills throughout his life. He put his skills to use for family and friends, whether to build furniture, mend a fence, repair a socket, or renovate a garden. He made life easier for others. One child announced that Uncle Max could fix Humpty Dumpty. There was rarely a time in his life that he didn’t have a dog; his love for them was always abundant and the pleasure he received in return was immense. He was always there to help family and those he loved, and they knew they could always count on him. Most of all, he encouraged others to think, to try, to do.

Whatever he did, he lived by the Cowboy Code of the West – integrity, honor, responsibility and loyalty.

Max passed away from COVID-19 on November 5. He was preceded in death by both sisters, Barba Greggs and Donna Hampton; his son Wayne Hedges; and his first-born grandson next to whom he will be buried.

He is survived by his daughter, Peggy Davis, and her husband, Tony; his son, Roger Hedges, and his wife Christi; 7 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews; as well as several close friends he held in his heart as family; and his honorary daughter, Diane Lundeen.

Graveside services will be Saturday, November 14, at 3 pm at Rose Hill Burial Park in Oklahoma City. Those attending are asked to please wear a mask. There will also be a live Facebook feed arranged through the Bill Merritt Funeral Home in Bethany.