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Nov. 12, 1964-Dec. 9, 2020
Brent Hedberg, 56,
Minot, formerly of
Parshall and Grand Forks,
went to be with our
Heavenly Father, Wednes-
day, December 9, 2020, at
a Minot hospital.
Brent Edward Hedberg
was born in Minot, ND on
November 12, 1964, to
Addison and Doris (Ed-
wardson) Hedberg. He
was raised in Parshall,
ND. Brent was born with
Down Syndrome, but he
did not let the condition
define him. Throughout
his life, Brent wanted to
be independent and in-
volved, and that's exactly
what he did for 56 years.
Parshall did not offer a
special education program
in the mid-1960's, so
Doris made sure Brent at-
tended school in nearby
towns. He started his
schooling in Underwood,
ND, with his mother as
chauffeur, they made the
daily round trip of 160
miles. Later, Brent would
spend the week in a foster
home in Underwood and
come home on weekends.
He also attended school in
Stanley and Minot, gra-
duating from Minot High
School in May 1986, at
the age of 21.
Brent moved to a group
home setting, in Grand
Forks, in the fall of 1986.
He was gradually moved
to an independent living
arrangement within a
short time. He loved hav-
ing his own apartment.
While in Grand Forks, he
worked at the John Bar-
leycorn Restaurant and
McDonald's. Brent was a
big UND Sioux fan, dur-
ing the years in Grand
Forks, as brothers Randy
and Rick worked for UND
Athletics.
In 2001, Brent moved to
Minot when Rick and his
family moved to the Mag-
ic City. He made his home
in Henry Towers and
found employment at
Hardee's and later at
McDonald's. Brent en-
joyed participating in Spe-
cial Olympics Basketball,
Track and Field, Weight-
lifting, and Bowling ac-
tivities. Brent received
several awards, during his
time competing in Special
Olympics, including mul-
tiple All-State Tourna-
ment Basketball awards.
His teams won multiple
state basketball cham-
pionships. In his later
years, when he was no
longer able to compete,
Brent served as a Special
Olympics basketball
coach. He loved being
called Coach Brent and
his timeout and halftime
speeches were something
to remember.
Brent developed Alzhei-
mer's in his early 50's and
needed additional super-
vision. He was moved to a
transitional care facility
with 24-hour care in 2017
and began work for Kalix.
He later transitioned into
an in-home service en-
vironment in 2019.
Brent was a huge Vik-
ings, Twins, Sioux,
Beavers, and Bison fan.
One of his favorite activi-
ties was to copy scores off
the sport pages into note-
books. He always had to
have the latest preseason
sports magazine and he
needed a program from
every sporting event,
many of which he kept for
several years. Brent was
in his glory during family
gatherings, especially
those at the cabin at Deep-
water Bay, Lake Saka-
kawea. He loved the 4th
of July and shooting off
fireworks. Another one of
his favorite activities was
to watch his nieces and
nephews in their various
sporting events. Family
was especially important
to Brent.
Brent was a blessing to
all who shared in his life.
His positive attitude and
constant smile were an in-
spiration to all of us.
Brent never had a bad day
and was always happy to
see you, often greeting
you with the question,
"You keepin' a busy"?
Brent succeeded due to
the strong advocacy of his
mother, Doris, and his en-
tire family. Doris made
sure he received early
schooling and that he par-
ticipated in aevery activity
possible. He trailed the
family to sporting events
across the state, at a
young age, and he loved
every minute of it. Brent
lived a great life.
Brent was preceded in
death by his parents,
Addison and Doris.
Brent is survived by his
brothers, Gerry, Randy
(Chery), Ricky (Andrea),
and sister, DeeEllen Lam-
pert, in addition to several
nieces, nephews and
cousins.
The family will honor
Brent's life with a private
family service on Mon-
day, December 14, 2020,
at Langhans Funeral
Home in Parshall.
Public Graveside Com-
mittal and Interment:
Monday, December 14,
2020 at 11:45 a.m. at
Parshall Cemetery in
Parshall.
Memorials are preferred
to Special Olympics
North Dakota, 2616 S.
26th St, Grand Forks, ND
58201.
(www.langhansfuneral
home.com)