City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Rev. Edwin H Hedgpeth
Reidsville, North Carolina
Age 94.
Died 04/12/2026.
He is survived by his daughter, Laura Brewer (Mike) of Reidsville, his son, John M. Hedgpeth (Ty) of Wilmington, and grandsons Joshua Brewer and Tyler Brewer. He is also survived by many relatives, former neighbors, and friends who will miss him dearly.
Edwin enjoyed many interests, including planting flowers and tending his grape vines. He took wood carving classes at the Appalachian Folk School and enjoyed carving for many years. He loved going fishing, then telling the stories afterward. Edwin enjoyed music and learned to play the harmonica at a young age. Playing harmonica continued to bring joy to him and others even in the last week of his life.
Edwin found his love for the Lord and his calling to ministry as a teenager at his home church, Proctorville Baptist. He credits his parents and this church with giving him the foundation to serve others. He graduated from Orrum High School in 1950, Campbell College with an AA in 1952, Wake Forest College with a BA in 1954, and Southeastern Seminary with a MDiv in 1957. He completed post-graduate studies at the University of Ohio, Duke Divinity School, and Marshall University. He taught public school in Kentucky and Maryland, served as a chaplain of Oxford Orphanage in NC, served as a Volunteer Coordinator for Clay County, NC Social Services, and volunteered as a chaplain for Hospice.
His ministry began in Baptist churches in Weaverton, MD, followed by Smyrna in Whiteville, NC, and Truitt Memorial in Hayesville, NC. In 1975, he joined the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, serving many congregations until he retired in 1997 and moved to Zebulon, NC, where he was an active member of Zebulon United Methodist.
Following his wife's passing, Edwin moved to Elon, where he attended Elon First United Methodist, then later moved to Reidsville to be closer to family. In each community, Edwin continued to minister to people, still living out his purpose. He became known for his eloquent prayers, handwritten letters, and most of all, playing his harmonica. While his many harmonicas are silent now, those who enjoyed their melodies will remember Edwin, and all will never forget the warmth of his company. He was a devoted husband, an amazing father, a cherished grandad, a loyal friend, and a trusted guide.
2 Timothy 4:7-8, NIV "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearing."
The family is thankful for the care provided to Edwin by Brookdale Reidsville, Penn Nursing Center, and Annie Penn Hospital.
In place of flowers, donations may be made to:
Zebulon United Methodist Church at 121 W Gannon Ave. Zebulon, NC 27597
Elon First United Methodist Church at 1630 Westbrook Ave. Elon, NC 27244
Proctorville Baptist Church at P.O. Box 40, Proctorville, NC 28340
The service to celebrate his life will be held at Zebulon United Methodist Church on May 16, 2026, at 2:00 pm.
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$1596.75
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation with a private family viewing. A private family viewing allows up to 10 immediate family members or friends to spend time with a loved one when a public visitation is not preferred.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home offers Alkaline Hydrolysis. The Alkaline Hydrolysis process uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.