Robert Hedeman, a prominent attorney and certified public accountant, died Monday of cancer at his Towson residence. He was 52.

He was an assistant state's attorney in Baltimore for seven years before he and Kathleen O'Ferrall Friedman, now a Baltimore City Circuit judge, formed a firm in 1977 in Towson.

In 1986, he became a certified public accountant, and his practice included business planning, taxation and health law.

"A highly professional attorney, he was always courteous, loyal to his clients and prepared," said Judge Friedman.

"With a wonderful sense of humor, which reflected his 'life is tough but to be celebrated' philosophy and a charmingly sweet disposition, working with Bob was a joy," she said.

"He was quiet and unassuming, but underneath he was a fighter to the end," said Harvey Greenberg, a Towson attorney and longtime friend. "His honest, levelheaded and straightforward approach to life, as well as law, was a rare combination,"

Mr. Hedeman was born in Cincinnati and raised in Towson, where he graduated from high school in 1963. He earned a bachelor's degree from Gettysburg College in 1967, a law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1973, and a master's degree in taxation from the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington in 1982.

He was a former board member and secretary of the Baltimore Center for Victims of Sexual Assault, served on the advisory board of the Maryland Office of Aging and was a member of the Citizens Planning and Housing Association of Baltimore.

His marriage to the former Cynthia Medieros ended in divorce.

He was a communicant of Ascension Evangelical Lutheran Church, 7601 York Road, Towson, where services will be held at 7: 30 p.m. Friday.

He is survived by his mother, Mary C. Hedeman of Baltimore; two nephews; and a niece.

Pub Date: 9/09/98