William Samuel (Bill) Hegan (2023)
Obituary
It is only now and again that one encounters a person of the calibre of Bill Hegan: A leading academic, a gifted linguist, a man of faith, and a true gentleman. All who had the privilege of knowing Bill are so much the poorer by his passing.
Born in Derry, Bill was an excellent student. He excelled in every area of his studies, becoming Head Boy of Foyle College and being awarded the coveted Lawrence Medal for his outstanding contribution to the school. He was renowned for his prowess as a cricketer and also as a rugby referee.
Bill possessed those qualities which influenced others. His best friend from school days, John, said this: ‘I know I had not seen Bill over many years, but he was never far from my mind, and any charity, integrity, or compassion I possess was instilled in me initially by Bill.’ Although reared a Presbyterian, through the influence of his cousins (the Wilsons) who were boy choristers in Saint Columb’s Cathedral, Bill sometimes got invited to robe with them and sing at Evensong. He would have been so proud that his cousin’s grandson, Jack Wilson, a former chorister and Organ Scholar of Derry Cathedral, has recently been appointed Organist and Choirmaster of St. Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast. It was so good that Jack’s Aunt, Mrs Rosemary Gordon, and her daughter Clare, were present and representing the Wilson family at Bill’s funeral service in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin.
Life as a student at Trinity College, Dublin, where he read French and Spanish Literature and Language, provided him with a huge legacy of happy memories. He said often that his sense of progressiveness, his outlook on the world, was honed and finely tuned by his experience there. He served as Vice President on the Historical Society and was a Master Rower for Trinity College. He studied Spanish in Madrid for eight months to enhance his studies while studying for his degree. After completing a post-graduate teaching diploma at Queen’s University, Belfast, Bill taught at Belfast Academical Institution before moving on to spend an amazing 32 years on the staff of The Rainey Endowed School, Magherafelt, the first integrated school in Northern Ireland, before becoming Vice-Principle and then Deputy Headmaster. While there, Bill organised several Rugby tours and exchange programmes to France, Canada and Latin America.
After retiring, Bill moved to his beloved Dublin with his wife Annmarie (also a Trinity Graduate) to live in her native City. They travelled extensively, and each summer they lived on a sailing yacht in the Mediterranean for a period of 17 years and sailed their yacht ‘Goldeneye’ from Spain, eventually ending up in the Ionian Greek Islands, where they cruised every summer.
From his experiences in Derry Cathedral, it is little wonder that he was a regular and frequent worshipper in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. He loved the music and fine choral tradition there, and he will be sadly missed by his many friends, not least from among the Friends of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, of which he was a member. We thank God for every remembrance of Bill and for his many fine attributes, not least for the way in which he bore his illness with great fortitude and courage, never letting his illness define him. His wife Annmarie continued to be with him every day through their 30 years together.
Sincere condolences are expressed to Annmarie, to Bill’s daughter Deborah and husband Paul; to Bill’s son Patrick and his wife Liz, and Bill’s two grandchildren Tabitha and Callan; to Bill’s former wife Judith, and also to Bill’s brothers, Jonathan and Colin and many nieces and nephews that loved him dearly.
Following the funeral service in Saint Patrick’s, cremation followed at The Victorian Chapel in Mount Jerome Crematorium. May Bill rest in peace and be raised in glory.
The Very Reverend William Morton (Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral)
Annmarie Fitzmaurice Hegan (Wife)
Date of Death : 13th August 2023
Date of Funeral: 19th August 2023