Marcus Nelson Hedges, III Marcus Nelson Hedges, III, was born on October 27, 1948, in St., Louis, Missouri, to Marcus Nelson Hedges, II, and Rose Marie (Showman) Hedges. He transferred his residence to his heavenly home on May 11, 2021. The Hedges family relocated from St. Louis to Bethany, Oklahoma, in 1950. When Marks father drowned in a boating accident on Lake Texoma in 1958, his mother, Marie, was left with the arduous responsibility of rearing their four childrenJudy, Mark, Carolyn, and Davidon her own. Though it was difficult, Marie leaned on God and her church family for strength and support. Mark graduated from Bethany High School in 1966. Following his graduation, he completed classes at Southwestern Bible College (now Southwestern Christian University) before being drafted into the United States Army. On December 21, 1967 (the same day he received his draft notice), Mark married the love of his life, Mary Fern Ray. They had met briefly years earlier at her grandmothers home. When Marys family moved from Quanah, Texas, to Bethany, Oklahoma, they began worshipping at the church her grandmother attended. And there was Mark, the young man she remembered (and had dreamed about) from years earlier. Soon Mark and Mary knew God had caused their paths to cross again for a purpose. Their pastor, the late Rev. S. N. Greene officiated their wedding at the Northwest Pentecostal Holiness Church in Oklahoma City. Mark sensed a call into Christian ministry at a young age. As a teenager, he volunteered for any kinds of services he might perform in the local church. After he and Mary were married, they worked as a team, shepherding congregations and leading small group ministries in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Michigan, and Oklahoma. He received his license and ordination as a minister of the gospel in the Georgia Conference of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. Gospel music played an important role in Marks life and ministry. He participated in singing groups, including the Servants Quartet, and served as a minister of music in Saline, Michigan. To support his family financially, Mark applied several trades to his resume. Most noted, perhaps, was his skill in computer technology. He worked for several years in that line of business. Not only was Mark loyal to God and his family, he was devoted to his country. He served two years in the United States Army in Vietnam. Following his basic training, the army sent him for chaplains training at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, New York. At the completion of his service, Mark was awarded the Bronze Star for valor as a chaplains assistant. Both of Marks parents and one sister, Judy Marie Henricks, preceded him in death. He is also predeceased by an infant grandson, Jayce Marshall Hedges. Mark is survived by his wife, Mary (Ray) Hedges; his son, Marcus Nelson Hedges, IV, (Michelle), of St. Louis, Missouri; daughter, Christi Lynn White (Christopher James) and granddaughter, Cierra, of Yukon, Oklahoma; his brother, David Gilbert Hedges (Lila) of Valparaiso, Indiana; one sister, Carolyn Lorene Hoyt of Norman, Oklahoma; and one sister-in-law by marriage, Beverly Smith (Roger) of Bethany, Oklahoma, as well as a host of other family members and friends. . Graveside Service Bethany Cemetery Monday, May 17, 2021 1:00 PM N.W. 63rd and Rockwell Bethany, Oklahoma 73008