John Wesley Hegwood, 80, Greenwood, IN, passed away on June 17, 2019. He was born on February 16, 1939, in Scottsburg, IN to the late Cletis and Hattie (Doughty) Hegwood.
He is survived by his loving wife Gayla; sister Judy (Pete) Doyle and his brother Bill (Diane) Hegwood; his son Mike (Kelly) Hegwood and daughter Jill (Dale) Meyer; his grandchildren Anne (Cole) Pratt, Daniel Fullenkamp, Jack Hegwood, Grace Hegwood, Michael Hegwood and Will Hegwood; and his great-grandchildren Brennan Kerker, Payton Fullenkamp, Jones Pratt and Charlie Pratt.
John graduated from Batesville High School in 1957 and Purdue University with a B.S. degree in 1962. He later attended Xavier University to complete his M.B.A in 1978. After graduating from Purdue he taught junior high math and science in the Monticello, IN school system. In 1966 he began a 36-year career with Hillenbrand Industries in their information management systems group. During that time he worked for Batesville Casket Company and in 1985 helped launch The Forethought Group as vice president of IMS. John finished his career as a vice president for Batesville Casket in 2002.
He married the love of his life, Gayla Gardner, June 22, 1963, and they spent 56 wonderful years together. While in Batesville, John was very active in the community. He served on the Batesville Park Board, was active in the Batesville Methodist Church, and considered one of his most proud accomplishments, serving on the CREATE committee, which was instrumental in getting computers in the Batesville Community School System.
John enjoyed reading and learning about history, especially about the Civil War period. He also loved the outdoors, hiking and the serenity of the North Carolina mountains. He thoroughly enjoyed the annual Hegwood fishing trips to remote parts of Minnesota and the memorable golfing trips with Gay and their friends. He was always interested in the latest technology and thoroughly enjoyed watching his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren participate in their sporting events.
After his retirement, John and Gay moved to Lake Lure, NC, and spent many wonderful years together in the mountains, golfing and traveling. John served on the Board at Rumbling Bald Resort. He and Gay were also very active in the Fairfield Mountains Chapel.
In 2016, they moved back to Greenwood to be closer to family. They attend the Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Greenwood.
A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, June 22 at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, 5171 W. Smokey Row Road in Greenwood, with visitation for one hour prior to the service at the church.
Memorial contributions may be made to Fairfield Mountains Chapel, 1384 Buffalo Creek Road, Lake Lure, NC 28746 or for his great-grandson Charlie’s cerebral palsy special needs. Contributions for Charlie can be made to Gayla Hegwood or via PayPal.Me/forcharliesneeds (enter this link into your browser).
View full obituary here.