A life well lived by Alice Rose Hedgeman began on November 3, 1938 and transitioned to the final stage of her journey on December 28, 2018. As He knows best, God called Alice to be with him early that Friday morning with her loving daughter, Michelle by her side after a short stay at Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care, Newark, DE.

Alice was the second child born to the late Mercer Morris and Mattie Abbott Hedgeman in Atlantic City, NJ. "Sis" as she was affectionately known by her older brother, Mercer Jr., accepted Jesus Christ as her personal savior at their home church, Angel Visit Baptist Church, Wildwood, NJ, Rev. Theodore Marshall Carter, Sr., Pastor. In 1988, she united with Union Baptist Temple under the leadership of Rev. Albert L. Morgan, Pastor. Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths" was her favorite scripture. It truly depicted the quiet, trusting spirit that often spoke words of assurance to Michelle as she would say, "God is taking care of me."

The Hedgeman family home was in Wildwood, NJ where Alice attended elementary and secondary school. After graduating from the Wildwood Public School System in 1957, Alice pursued a career in nursing as she was admitted to the first Historic Black School of Nursing in Philadelphia, Mercy-Douglass Hospital and School of Nursing. Alice was a member of their last graduating class in 1960 when she and others began their professional careers as Licensed registered nurses at Mercy-Douglass Hospital (MDH), later known as Pennsylvania General Hospital. Her tenure at MDH as an operating room nurse and various other nursing capacities was followed by entrance into a career-long interest in psychiatric nursing. Alice contributed to the efforts of a University of Pennsylvania grant-funded research project exploring the appropriateness of categorizing all autistic persons as retarded. From research to practice, Alice took her next career step in 1970 when she returned to New Jersey to join the nursing staff at the Woodbine Developmental Center (WDC). For the next 28 years, she excelled as a nursing professional until her retirement in 1998 as the Supervisor of Nursing at WDC.

Following her retirement, Alice came to live with her only child, Michelle René. Shortly thereafter, Alice gained a son when Michelle met and married Anthony "Tony" Matthews, her beloved son-in-law, in 2002. Mom Alice then moved with Michelle and Tony as they made their residence in Bear, Delaware. At UBT, they are lovingly a part of the "Delaware Saints!"

Over the years, Alice was Aunt Sissy to Judy, April, Mercer, Eric, Crispus, and Josh. Corey (Matthews) lovingly called her Mom Alice. Then, 2005 brought a world-changing event in Alice's life. She became "MiMi" when Zoë Alyce Matthews was born to Michelle and Tony. If you thought there was a special bond between Michelle and Mom, well…enlarge that definition to describe the relationship she immediately developed with Zoë.

Alice Rose Hedgeman is survived by her daughter and son-in-law: Michelle René and Anthony Matthews, brother and sister-in-law: Mercer and Audrey Hedgeman, grandchildren: Zoë and Corey Matthews, multiple generations of nieces and nephews, her special friend Harriet Carter, and many others.