Don was born Feb 20, 1938, to Stanley and Ruby (Faulconer) Hedges in Warrensburg, MO. He was their  third child and became the spoiled little brother to Maradi (Mifflin) and Nell (Armstrong), and big brother to Dottie (Salchow), He graduated from Warrensburg High 1956 after spending several years with Central Missouri State College's Laboratory School.  Don joined the U.S. Air Force serving in Germany where he met Joan Gentry, they were married in England 1959.  Don drove dump trucks with his father for several years before becoming a regional hog buyer for MFA, later managing the back of the barn for 4-Square Livestock Auction, Marshall Junction, as well as Concordia Livestock barn.  He was a regional hog order buyer for Iowa packing houses for several years.  Don and Joan raised three children south of Warrensburg.

Don later worked for National Farmers Organization in the upper Midwest where he met and married Jewel Vesperman. Don and Jewel settled in Leeton, MO where they started J&D Trucking.  Later they began hauling cars across the United States, visiting 42 states in one year.  Don was famous for seeing an agricultural enterprise unfamiliar to him and stopping to learn.  He rode in a sugar cane harvester in Louisiana after pulling alongside the field, just because it looked interesting. His last job, driving a bus for Leeton School, gave him a lot of joy.  He loved the kids and he loved driving the ball teams.  Don loved his extended family, which included Jewel's three children,  grand, and great-grandchildren.

Don liked to dream big, drive long hours looking at the country side, tell jokes, and talk about his family. He is survived by his wife Jewel Hedges, Warrensburg, MO, children Terri Hedges Fayle (Keith), Silver Lake, KS; Sandra Hedges Streit (Marshall), Holden, MO; Jannan Steffes (Jerry), Cuba City, WI; John Vesperman, Madison, WI; and Jeremy Vesperman (Mindy), Sedalia, MO; sister Dottie Salchow, Olathe, KS; 8 grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren.  He was preceded in death by his son Dean Sheldon Hedges, parents,  stepmother Gladys Hedges George,  and sisters Maradi and Nell.

Family will receive friends from 12:30 to 1:45 pm Monday, October 16th at Williams Funeral Chapel in Warrensburg followed by 2:00 p.m. graveside services at Sunset Hill Cemetery in Warrensburg.

In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to Johnson County Hospice.

Online condolences may be left at www.williamsfuneralchapel.net