John O. Hammons, Sr.

JOHN O’NEAL HAMMONS, SR., passed away at the age of 76 on December 11, 2014, after a brief illness. Affectionately known as “Buzzy” by his family and friends, John was born October 14, 1938, in Jackson, TN to the late Annie Ruth and John Oscar Hammons. A member of Second Presbyterian Church, he is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Suzanne Meriwether Hammons, whom he started dating at the age of 17; their three children, John O’Neal Hammons, Jr. (Dot), Marilyn Hammons Hergenrader (Steve), Robert Taylor Hammons, Sr. (Michelle) and his seven grandchildren, John O’Neal Hammons, III (Josie), Rachel Lewis Hammons, William Jensen Hergenrader, Lewis Conley Hergenrader, Owen Meriwether Hergenrader, Katherine Clark Hammons, and Robert Taylor Hammons, Jr; all of Memphis, TN. He also leaves a sister Anne Hammons Roberts of Washington, D.C., and a nephew and niece. John attended Jackson High School and graduated in 1956 from The Webb School, a college preparatory boarding school in Bell Buckle, TN. He earned a B.S. in Industrial Management at Georgia Institute of Technology in 1961, where he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order fraternity and married his high school sweetheart, Suzanne. Following graduation, he worked for Humble Oil and Refining Co., in Memphis and New Orleans, LA, where he played an instrumental role on a special project computerizing terminals in conjunction with IBM. In the early 1970’s, John left Humble Oil to start his own business, which specialized in construction and concrete work for numerous residential and commercial projects in the Memphis area and Chattanooga, TN. Of all his projects, he was particularly proud of his home, The Beach Hive, in Destin, FL, he built so his family could vacation together. Spending time between his homes in Memphis and Destin since his retirement, he was an active board member and director of the Dunes of Destin Homeowner’s Association. All his life, he was a sports enthusiast both as a participant and spectator, winning several local and regional golf championships, enjoying dove and duck hunting, and remaining an enthusiastic fan and supporter of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. However, above all else, John loved nothing more than being with his family and attending his grandchildren’s events and activities. Visitation will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, December 18 at Second Presbyterian Church in the Salmon Room with a memorial service at 11 a.m. in the Chapel. A graveside service will follow the same day at 2:30 p.m. at Andrews Chapel at 3820 Brownsville Rd. Hwy 70 in Huntersville, TN. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any memorials be sent to the Georgia Tech Alexander-Tharpe Fund (www.ramblinwreck.com/atfund or 150 Bobby Dodd Way, Atlanta, GA 30332), to provide scholarships for Tech's student-athletes, or to the Andrews Chapel Cemetery Fund, (c/o FUMC of Jackson, 200 S. Church Street, Jackson, TN 38301) to restore and preserve the historic cemetery founded in 1820 by his wife Suzanne's ancestor, Major James Meriwether. www.memphisfuneralhome.net Memphis Funeral Home 5599 Poplar Ave. (901)725-0100.