Individual Details

Death

Little Rock - JOHN L. HATHCOCK, 61, went to be with the Lord on September 19, 2008. He was born on September 19, 1947 in Cary, Mississippi, a son of the late William Walter and Jessie Mae Allen Hathcock. He graduated from Delta State University in 1969 and attended law school while flying for Braniff Airlines as a commercial pilot. He was in the Kappa Alpha Fraternity. He was selected for Who’s Who of American Colleges. He practiced law in Jackson, Mississippi, and moved to Houston, Texas in 1982 to work in the oil and gas industry for ten years, with his legal background in corporate law. He worked for Continental Airlines and as a private pilot while in Texas. He went to work for Federal Express in 1989 and relocated to Little Rock in 1992 and continued working for 19 years, flying 727s and MD11s, and as an instructor of classroom and simulator training. He was a veteran, having served as an officer in the United States Air Force flying missions in Vietnam. After receiving an honorable discharge, he flew for the governor of Mississippi. He had an adventurous spirit. His favorite saying was “I can’t believe they pay me to do what I love.” He began a battle with cancer in May of 2006 and courageously fought through multiple treatments. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a grandson, Jaydon. He is survived by his loving wife of 26 years, Mary Martin Hathcock; daughter, Stacy Therrell and her husband, Steve, of Brandon, Mississippi; son, Brian Wolfe of Alexander, Arkansas; daughter, Jennifer Breedlove and her husband, James, of Round Rock, Texas, and daughter, Jessica Hathcock of Little Rock, Arkansas; brother, Jimmy Hathcock and his wife, Angela, of Jackson, Mississippi; sister, Charlotte Simpson of Brandon, Mississippi; seven grandchildren, Michael, Trevor, Travis, Chase, Sebastian, Jordan and Erin; a host of relatives and friends; and special family pet, Ralf. Sonny Davenport was the saving grace and companion throughout John’s fight. He gave of his time to help both John and Mary. Mary called Sonny her hero, as she knew how hard it was for him to see the decline of his dear friend, but he stayed committed to being with them until the Lord called John Home. The family would like to extend a special thanks to all of the nurses at Arkansas Hospice. Each became more than John’s nurse, they became his friends. Arkansas Hospice made John’s last few days comfortable. We wish to give special thanks to the few nurses that John became immediately friends with, Clif, Angela, Martha, Penny, Marilyn, JoAnn and Dr. Mark A. Dyer. John received all of his chemo treatments at the Family Cancer Center in Colliersville, Tennessee. Barbara and Marty became our special friends, not just nurses. We are forever grateful for their special care. Toward the end of John’s life he often stated he was ready to go home. We knew he was ready to leave his earthly body and to be without pain in our heavenly home. Thank you to all of our friends who surrounded us, kept us well fed, took care of many errands and prayed for our time to be peaceful. A celebration of John’s life will be held at 5 p.m., Thursday, September 25, 2008 at Windsong Performing Art Center, 7318 Windsong Drive, North Little Rock, Arkansas with Roller-Chenal Funeral Home (501)224-8300 assisting. A second celebration of John’s life will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, September 27, 2008 at Cross Gates United Methodist Church, Brandon, Mississippi. A celebration of John’s life with our Memphis Federal Express family and friends will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, October 4, 2008 in the home of Jeff and Terri Scott of Bartlett, Tennessee. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Arkansas Hospice, 5600 West 12th Street, Little Rock, Arkansas 72204 or to Hope Lodge.
Published by The Commercial Appeal on Sep. 21, 2008.