Christa Hedrick passed away Wednesday, December 27, 2023. She was preceded in death by her mother, Geneveive Wright Vineyard; father, Raymond Clayton Vineyard, and husband, Dennis Hedrick.

She is survived by her brother, Ray Rocklynn Vineyard (Marcia) of Alvin, Tex.; stepchildren: Dennis Hedrick, Jr., of El Cajon, Calif., Christopher Paul Hedrick of San Diego, Calif., and daughter Leila Hedrick; step-grandchildren: Victoria Hedrick, Nicholas Hedrick, Jenna Hedrick and Christina Hedrick, and many cousins and friends.

Christa was a woman of great strength and grace. From an early age, she learned how to face life with an adventurous spirit and an eagerness to embrace new challenges with determination and a positive attitude. With each change, she became more self-assured, more empathetic toward others and more willing to give of herself. From being an Army wife, to becoming a career woman as a Computer Installation Supervisor at GERS, Inc., to meeting and marrying the love of her life in San Diego, Christa didn’t just live, she thrived. But no matter where life took her, she was always a Rector girl. She and Dennis moved back to Rector over 30 years ago, and both of them soon became a much-welcomed part of the Rector community.

Christa volunteered and sat on many committees, the last being the Clay County Democratic Central Committee. Her love of writing led her to author two books, We Were Army Wives and Echoes From The Ashes. In addition, she wrote a weekly column, From the Front Porch Swing, for the Clay County Times-Democrat. To know Christa, in whatever capacity brought her into your lives, was to be embraced by the warmth of her character, her kind and loving heart, her sense of humor, her wit and her loyal friendship. She will be missed but will live on in the hearts of all those who loved her.

Services will be private. Cremation arrangements have been entrusted to Irby-Mitchell Funeral Home of Rector.