Robert (Bobby Jack) Jackson Hunter, Sr.

Robert Jackson Hunter, Sr. passed away at Winston Medical Center Nursing Home in Louisville, MS on April 21, 2021. His funeral service is planned for Friday, April 23, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at Cockrell Funeral Home in Macon, MS.  Interment will be in Salem Cemetery near Macon, MS.  A visitation will be held at the funeral home one hour prior to the service.  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made, the family request memorials be made to L.I.F.E. Coaching Systems, Inc. a 501(c)3 non-profit ministry outreach to men that offers various environments to provide the relational structure and support needed for men to become better husbands and fathers.  All donations are tax deductible.  L.I.F.E. Coaching Systems, P.O. Box 4005, Madison, MS 39130.  Cockrell Funeral Home of Macon is honored to be entrusted with arrangements.

Robert Jackson Hunter, Sr. was born November 20, 1926 in Mashulaville, MS to Mays and Lois Hunter.  He is survived by his wife of over 50 years Wanda June Hunter; 3 sons and a daughter; Robert (Lisa) Hunter, Jr., Roane (Eva) Hunter, Chris Coleman, Karen (Tom) Jordan; and 12 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his brother Mays “Bit” Hunter, and his son, Bill Hunter.

He was a proud graduate of Ole Miss and a member of Kappa Alpha fraternity.  He was a long-time Farm Loan Manager for Equitable Life ultimately retiring with the now unheard of “golden” pension at the age of 62. He then moved to “Vericose City” FL and played golf and owned orange groves.  After tiring of hanging out with mostly very old yankees from Michigan, he decided to move back closer to family and lived in Germantown, TN for several years before coming “home” to Mississippi.

Although he lived in Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee he was always a true Mississippian at heart.  He was a Rebel through and through, a WWII Veteran, one of the founders of the Republican party in the great state of Mississippi, a lover of the great game of golf, a tennis player, a Hunter by name and deed, a fisherman, a master chef, a master gardener known for his prized tomatoes and a true son of the south in every way.  He never met a stranger and could make a connection with Presidents, governors, farmers, captains of industry, rocket scientists and anyone in his vast network of friends. He was a son, brother, father, grandfather and great-grandfather many times over!  To his wonderful wife of over 50 years, he was a devoted and caring husband. After his retirement, they traveled the world from Alaska to New Zealand, enjoyed new places and made new friends together.  He loved both golf and tennis taking children and grandchildren along with him to many tournaments along the way.  But his greatest love was always his 5 children, 12 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren with another one on the way!  He was known to partake of the elixir that is “the oil of stimulating conversation, the philosophic wine, the ale that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and laughter on their lips, and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes.”   When conversing with him on any subject he let you know where he stood whether you asked or not – and he may not have been right, but he was never in doubt!  As he got older, his libation of choice became a glass of good cabernet when it got close to 5 o’clock somewhere (well just red wine period, good or not!).

He was a master storyteller, yarn spinner, joke teller (gifts he passed on to all 3 sons!) and a walking library of memories.  Our memories will be the stories told, many, many, many times over the years. Some favorites that we’ll remember (and you too if you knew him for any length of time): The WWII Battle of Enid Oklahoma, his contribution to the NASA Space Program, The Deer Hunt with Luke Minor, the dove hunts, the turkey hunts, the founding and building of the Zach Brooks Memorial Golf Course, catching Brian Pearson’s pet bass, shooting dice in the KA house at Ole Miss, hitchhiking from Macon to Oxford, growing up in the depression, working in the shipyards at the beginning of the war, founding the Republican party singlehandedly, meeting President Nixon, the fascinating “bells and whistles” of penny slot machines, and many, many, many more!

He was Bobby Jack, RJ, Bobby, and BJ to his friends but he will always and forever be Poppa to all of us.