Bruce Hegedorn, respected Webster resident and businessman, passes away

Bruce was the father of Hegedorn’s Market

Mary and Bruce Hegedorn in 2009. (Photo Provided)

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Webster, NY - Bruce Hegedorn, a life-long Webster resident and highly respected businessman in the community, passed away peacefully on Feb. 17, 2021.

Bruce loved the Webster community, as was demonstrated in all of his business endeavors that helped make Webster the place “Where Life is Worth Living.” He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Mary.

One of the most popular businesses in Webster, Hegedorn’s Market currently stands where the dairy farm on which Bruce was born once stood. Years later, Bruce purchased the farm from his parents, Clifford and Marie Kolb Hegedorn, after their retirement. He officially opened Hegedorn’s Market on Ridge Road in 1953.

In the beginning, Bruce ran the store with his wife Mary and her mother, Elma. Mary and Elma would work the cash registers and Bruce would cut the meat, stock the shelves, etc.

“A man who never asked anyone to do a task he would not do himself, he could often be seen picking up litter in the parking lot, sweeping floors, and packing grocery bags,” his family writes in Bruce’s obituary.

Hegedorn’s Market was not the only business endeavor Bruce took on. He and his best friend, Bill Gray, opened their first Bill Gray’s restaurant in 1965.

“Their partnership was built upon the handshake that was both Bruce’s trademark and proof of his good word,” his family writes.

Following their colleague Tom Wahl’s retirement, Bruce and Gray purchased Tom Wahl’s Avon.

His family writes, “Caring deeply for the Town of Webster, Bruce believed in giving everything he could to the community through civic purchases, philanthropic donations, and sponsorships of Webster sports teams.”

Bruce was a Webster High School graduate. He was drafted into the Army at 18 years old, and then he graduated from Springfield College. He had originally planned on pursuing a career as a physical education teacher, before realizing his calling to be a Webster businessman.

Services for Bruce will be private. The community is invited to donate to a Webster Charity of their choice in Bruce’s honor.