Henry ‘Hank’ Samuel Bedingfield
Henry “Hank” Samuel Bedingfield, of Lake Placid, passed away on May 19, 2022 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Hank was born in New York, New York on July 31, 2000 to Jerry Bedingfield and Ellen Slipp. He grew up in Ardsley, New York, and graduated from Ardsley High School in 2018. While in high school, Hank was a three-season athlete who excelled in football, skiing and lacrosse as the team’s goalie. In 2018, as a result of his commitment to athletics as well as his impressive academic performance, Hank was awarded the male Student-Athlete Award for his senior class.
Hank received his bachelor’s degree from Colorado College in Colorado Springs, majoring in philosophy with a minor in journalism. He graduated with Distinction in Philosophy with a 3.9-grade point average and received the Excellence in Journalism Award. While in college, Hank was a captain of the rugby team, the managing editor of the student paper, and a huge presence on campus. While writing for the Colorado College student newspaper, The Catalyst, Hank had his own column where he wrote restaurant reviews on local restaurants. His writing was bold, descriptive, entertaining and captivating, revealing his extraordinary talent.
Hank is remembered for his infectious smile, mischievous blue eyes, kind heart, non-judgmental nature, his sweetness and empathy for all, his ability to make everyone he spoke to feel seen, heard and included, his expansive and endlessly curious mind, adventurous spirit, gifted writing abilities, and his one-liners, affectionately called “Hankisms.”
Hank loved the outdoors and enjoyed hiking and camping, and particularly enjoyed skiing with his family and friends. Hank had a deep love of live music, he played guitar for the love of it, and attended many Dead and Co. shows, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong concerts, and Trey Anastasio Band shows where he loved to dance along to his favorite songs.
Hank had an extraordinary work ethic and was devoted to his work at the Westchester Greenhouses and Farm. Hank loved to travel and throughout his life visited Greece, Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, the Caribbean, England, Wales, Canada, France, and numerous US states, including New York, Colorado, Maine, New Mexico, Arizona, Florida, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and many other states during his cross country road trips to travel from New York to Colorado for school — his preferred mode of transportation.
Hank was the beloved son of Jerry and Ellen and is adored by his sister Tess Bedingfield and his twin brother Will Bedingfield. He is survived by his grandfather Samuel Bedingfield and is predeceased by his maternal grandparents Helen Marie McCarthy Slipp and Donald J. Slipp and his paternal grandmother Maryanne Wagner Bedingfield. He will be lovingly remembered by many friends, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins and family friends.
A memorial will be held to honor Hank and share happy stories of his life. A private burial will be planned at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Hank’s memory may be made to Colorado College Rugby and/or World Central Kitchen: www.givecampus.com/campaigns/29732/donations/new and Donate.wck.org/give/398293#!/donation/checkout.