Dezma James "Jim" Hege, Jr. was born on September 17, 1939, to Dezma Hege, Sr. and Margaret Barber Hege in Lexington, North Carolina and moved north to Maryland at 12.

He was always mechanically inclined, a skill set he put to good use for the United States Army as a mechanic. He traveled all over Europe running a tank retriever and repairing other armored vehicles, from Germany (where he met his first wife, Betty) all the way down to Italy. His next stop was Vietnam, where he primarily worked on helicopters. He often recalled later how beautiful it was to fly them out over the water, which was clear enough to spot sharks swimming far below. When he left the military, he came home to Maryland with Betty and their budding family, but later he moved back down to North Carolina.

In that chapter of his life, Jim started a career in the elevator service industry that he later retired from. When not at work, he was known as the kind, doting husband of his second wife, Linda; and for the next four decades you seldom saw one of them without the other. Jim and Linda were highly active members of Trinity Baptist Church, they encouraged their whole family to volunteer with them (mostly at Samaritan’s Purse), and they were wonderful, devoted grandparents.

Shortly after he lost Linda in 2019, he was reintroduced to an old flame from his youth, and he was married to his ‘Margie’ for the last year and a half of her life. Even though he knew their time together would be short, she reminded him that he still had life in him, and he dutifully stayed by her side as she battled pancreatic cancer.

With his adventurous spirit having been renewed, the last chapter for Jim was one that he lived unapologetically, on his own terms. When he was at home, he still had the support of his family right across the street (also later in the home), but he got out and about much more, was determined to meet new and interesting people, and tried to live the rest of his life to the fullest for as long as he could. When his time to go home to be with God was drawing close, he insisted that as few people witnessed his struggle as possible; he had watched Linda and Margie both go downhill, and he did not want to be remembered in that way. He told us ‘tell them to remember me just as I was the last time they saw me happy and smiling. Just think of it like I’ve stepped through a door to mingle with some folks I haven’t seen in a while. This is not a goodbye, it’s that I’ll see them later.’

He was preceded in death by his parents, Betty M Hege (nee Pongrac), Linda H Hege, Margaret M Hege, Diana Hege, and Michael J Ingalls (Malinda).

He is survived by Ron Hege (Paula) of Pennsylvania, Gerry Hege (Donna) and Teresa Napfel (Bruce) of Maryland, Renee Brock (Jason) of North Carolina; Mary Margaret Scheuerman, Robert Hege, and Regina Burton (Ken) of Maryland; Tina Ingalls, Jessica Ingalls, and Kaia Ingalls of North Carolina; and a number of nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren in Maryland.

A graveside service will be conducted at 2 p.m. Friday, June 19, 2026, at Forest Hill Memorial Park, in the mausoleum, with Pastor Don Clement officiating.  Entombment will follow.

In lieu of flowers, Jim requested that donations be made to Samaritan's Purse, P.O. Box 3000 Boone, NC 28607.