Mary Anne Hedrick

With profound sadness, we announce the passing of MaryAnne Dominica Hedrick, a friend to all and the ultimate humanitarian. MaryAnne, age 62, passed away at her home in Palm Beach Gardens on Wednesday, October 30, 2019, leaving behind a legacy of giving both through her charitable causes and through her friendships.

MaryAnne had a boundless enthusiasm for life and a deep love for her family and friends. Always putting others first, she devoted her life to helping those in need. She was born on March 24, 1957, in Jersey City, New Jersey, to parents, Marion and Mickey. She graduated from Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, and served as the Director of Recreation in Paramus for 14 years. She moved to Florida in 1989 and began teaching physical education at Lake Worth Middle School. In 1997, MaryAnne was in a car accident that left her a T7 paraplegic. MaryAnne may have been confined to a wheelchair but it did not confine her spirit. It only expanded her desire to help others, and after a difficult recovery, MaryAnne returned to teaching PE. Her strength and bravery during this transition was a lesson to all of us in perseverance, tenacity, and a refusal to give up.

While at Lake Worth Middle School, MaryAnne devoted herself to the students – not just her students, but all students. She was not only a PE teacher, she was a field trip coordinator, a fundraiser, and all-around go to person for making good things happen (even if it meant bending the rules…what rules?). If it was for the kids, it was worth doing. Her office was a place any student could go for a snack, a pair of pants, sneakers, and, most importantly, words of encouragement and guidance. She enlisted her family and friends to join her to shop for needy families at Christmas time and to surprise deserving students with bicycles. Her positivity and giving spirit reached not only countless students and co-workers, but their families too.

MaryAnne’s spirit to serve was not limited to her school. She was involved in many non-profit adventures including, but not limited to: the Barry Grunow Memorial Scholarship Fund and Lake Worth Dollars for Scholars which help deserving local high school graduates showing financial need to pursue their teaching degrees, Genesis Assistance Dogs, Inc., and Networking to Help Children, Inc. MaryAnne also participated on the Advisory Board of Parks and Recreation for Palm Beach Gardens. She served these organizations with enthusiasm, optimism and a “just do it” attitude.

Due to cervical stenosis surgery, MaryAnne decided to retire from teaching in 2016 after 27 years of service. After settling into retirement for about 5 minutes, she jumped head first into bringing her passion for being on the water to others with disabilities. She partnered with the Florida Fishing Academy, Inc. to bring her not-for-profit, Access the Sea, Inc. to life. Access the Sea was MaryAnne’s way of opening up boating and being on the water to those who would not otherwise have an opportunity to connect with nature in this way.

In her personal life, the enthusiasm and love she brought to her family and friends is unmatched. She had a way of bringing people together, connecting us to one another, building the bonds between us. Whether it was through tailgating at the Dolphins’ games, charity events, Mets’ games, or just dinners at her house, she was purposefully and lovingly weaving us all into one big beautiful extended family, and we are forever grateful to her for these enduring friendships.

Throughout her life, MaryAnne used every opportunity she could to benefit others. Whether it was a fundraiser or a word of encouragement, her goal was to lift others up, improve their lives, to push them outside their comfort zones, and to help them realize their potential. Her heart was open and her spirit generous to whomever reached out to her. The positive effects of her lifetime of giving will continue exponentially because for each student, friend, and person in need that MaryAnne supported, encouraged, or guided, there are countless more that benefitted from these acts of kindness.

MaryAnne was preceded in death by her parents, Marion and Mickey and brother, Greg. She is survived by her brother, Wayne, her nephews, Matt and Keith, whom she was so proud of and loved deeply, her lifelong friend and ally, Natalie, and her faithful and loving service dog, Jac. She is also survived by her close family friends, her extended work family from Lake Worth Middle School and hundreds of her students whom she touched and lifted up. We know that wherever any one of us is, MaryAnne will be there also, in spirit, and will continue guiding, encouraging and loving us just as she did in life.

Friends and family are invited to attend visiting hours on Wednesday, November 6, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Howard-Quattlebaum Funeral Cremation and Event Center, located at 754 US Highway 1, North Palm Beach, Florida. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Access the Sea at gofundme.com (https://www.gofundme.com/f/accesstheseainc).