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Obituary for Capt. John Bernard Hooker, USN, Ret.
John Bernard Hooker passed away peacefully in his home on April 23, 2018. He was born on January 25, 1934 to Reverend William Bernard and Mary Hatcher Hooker in Vaiden, Mississippi. He had lived with his family in Jackson, Mississippi since the 1960’s. Visitation will be at Trinity Presbyterian Church on Thursday, April 26th from 5:00-7:00 pm. and on Friday, April 27th from 1:00-2:00 pm with a service following at 2:00 pm. A family burial service will follow at Edwards Cemetery. Known to friends and family as both John and Bernard, he spent his child-hood in many small towns throughout Mississippi and the south as his father served in Presbyterian churches. Most of his childhood summers were spent at his family home in Edwards, Mississippi which he considered his true hometown. He graduated Valedictorian from Fayette High School in 1951 and continued his undergraduate education at Southwestern College (Rhodes College) in Memphis, Tennessee. After graduating in 1955, he joined the United States Navy and attended Officer Candidate School. He served as a navigator bombardier in Attack Squadron One, and served two Pacific tours onboard the USS Midway, the USS Ticonderoga and the USS Bonhomme Richard. Following active service, he joined the U.S. Navy Reserve and led the naval intelligence unit at Millington Naval Base until retirement with the rank of Captain in 1982. He attended graduate school at The University of Mississippi where he obtained a joint Masters Degree in Physics and Mathematics. He taught on the collegiate level at Ole Miss and Belhaven College, and at Provine High School. He then worked for the Mississippi Highway Department where he was first introduced to what would be his life’s professional calling, the computer. He furthered his profession in computer programming by working for IBM as a systems analyst. While at IBM he won national recognition for his outstanding work. He was a founding partner in Computer Results Company and Business Records Incorporated. In his later years he was an independent consultant with loyal customers all over the state. John Bernard married Melinda Bone on December 28, 1962 and they enjoyed 52 years of marriage prior to her death in 2015. Together they had three children and six grandchildren whom were his crowning achievement. His beloved grandchildren called him Dendy, and he instilled in them the noble value of living a simple Godly life and being content. There is much that defined this man of honor, integrity, and wisdom. He was a master storyteller with countless true tales told from childhood through his time in the Navy, and he never met a stranger with whom he did not want to share a smile or a short anecdote. He enjoyed spending time with his buddies on the golf course, and he along with his family served as a foster family for Bethany Christian Services. He loved his church family at Trinity Presbyterian Church where he was a former Deacon, and volunteered to tutor with the Sons of the King program. He also volunteered with the tutoring program at Redeemer Church.
John Bernard Hooker is preceded in death by his wife Melinda Bone Hooker and his parents Rev. and Mrs. William Bernard Hooker. He is survived by his chil-dren Maribeth (Teddy) Gibson, John Hooker, and Allison (Drew) Foxworth, grand-children Catherine (Colin) Luba, Mary Paxton and Dalton Gibson and Nathan, Harrison, and Myers Foxworth, his brother Lamar (Gale) Hooker, his brother-in-law Walter (Susan) Bone and sisters-in-law Beverly (Jimmy) Ware and Ginger (Rick) Gamblin along with many nieces, nephews, cousins, and longtime friends. In lieu of flowers the family asks that memorials be made to Trinity Presbyterian Church, Bethany Christian Services or a charity of your choice.
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