Mr. Richard Franklin Hobbs Jr.

Mr. Hobbs was born July 14, 1922 in Mount Vernon, Georgia. He was the son of the late Richard Franklin Hobbs and Grace Currie Hobbs. He attended high school in Abbeville, Georgia, where he met and fell in love with Betty Sue Parker. He graduated from North Georgia College in 1941, and within a week of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps. He was assigned to Operations for the 79th Fighter Group, and assisted in the planning and scheduling of hundreds of air sorties throughout World War II. He and his unit participated in campaigns in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and Southern France. He was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service in direct support of combat operations.

At the conclusion of the war, Mr. Hobbs married Mrs. Hobbs and enrolled at the University of Georgia’s School of Pharmacy, graduating in 1948. He and Mrs. Hobbs came to Griffin where he practiced pharmacy at Jesse’s Pharmacy until 1961. That year he opened Hobbs Pharmacy, which has been a fixture in Griffin ever since. Mr. Hobbs provided personalized service and friendship to his many customers. It was common for him to go back to the drug store in the middle of the night to provide needed medicine. At his retirement, Mr. Hobbs was proud to turn Hobbs Pharmacy over to his friends, Paul and Jean Moore.

Mr. Hobbs was a sportsman. He loved golf. He was often seen at the Griffin Municipal Golf Course, enjoying a well played round and socializing with his pals. He scored three holes-in-one over the years. He taught the game to all three of his sons, who each have cherished memories of spending time with their father on the golf course. He liked fishing and hunting, but he loved the many nights he spent swapping stories with his friends around the camp fire.

Mr. Hobbs was a member of the First Baptist Church of Griffin, the Georgia Pharmaceutical Association, Veterans of Foreign Wars, a past member of the Griffin Elks Club and a past president of the Griffin Youth Baseball Association. He was preceded in death by his brother, LeRoy C. Hobbs.

Mr. Hobbs is survived by his beloved wife of 65 years, Betty Sue Parker Hobbs; son and daughter-in-law Dr. Richard Franklin Hobbs, III and Elise of Waterville, Maine; son and daughter-in-law Michael Edward Hobbs and Suzanne of Lilburn, Georgia; son and daughter-in-law, the Rev. Timothy Wilson Hobbs and Susan of Henderson Kentucky. He is also survived by six grandchildren, Christopher and Zachary Hobbs of Auburn, Maine; M. Jordan Hobbs of Atlanta; and Mollie, Rachel and Nathaniel Hobbs of Henderson, Kentucky; and two great grandchildren, Alex Hobbs and Jacynda Rousseau.

Funeral services for Mr. Richard Franklin Hobbs Jr. will be held Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 11:00 AM in the chapel of Haisten McCullough Funeral Home. Rev. Timothy Wilson Hobbs will officiate. Interment will follow in the Oak Hill Cemetery. Friends may visit the family on Monday, May 24, 2010 from 6 – 8 p.m. at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the American Heart Assocation in memory of Mr. Hobbs.

Haisten McCullough Funeral Home, 1155 Everee Inn Rd. is in charge of arrangements.