of athletic honors before graduating from Mingo Junction High
School. He extended his success in sports at West Liberty State
College in West Virginia, eventually earning 14 sports letters. After
completing his master’s degree at West Liberty, Jack played
professional baseball for five years, first with the Boston Red Sox and
then with the New York Yankees. Despite his athletic
accomplishments, Jack’s first concern was following Jesus Christ, a
decision he made in the locker room after a high school football
game. From that point on, Jack was committed to following and
winning others for Christ.
After college, Jack worked at General Motors, spending his free time
planning and building a family recreation facility at Rehoboth Baptist
in Tucker. He wanted to provide sports and recreation programs that
created opportunities to talk about Jesus and to draw new believers
into the church family. The program grew quickly and proved
tremendously successful.
In 1974, Jack accepted a position at Dunwoody Baptist as its first
minister of activities and was ordained in 1975. Recognizing the need
for a ministry to active seniors, Jack also launched Young at Heart, a
legacy that continues today. After nine years of successful ministry at
DBC, Rehoboth Baptist again sought Jack’s leadership in its sports
ministry. He used this opportunity to implement new programs and
to find new ways of sharing the Gospel through sports and recreation
in Tucker.
Returning to Dunwoody Baptist in 2002, Jack resumed his ministry
through sports and recreational programs. In his later years Jack
maintained his passion for evangelism, talking about Jesus with
caregivers, medical professionals and just about everyone else who
crossed his path. He was a mighty man of faith and he will be
dearly missed.
He is survived by his wife Juanita Gresham Hudson; his children,
Jack Hudson, Jr (Jennifer), Trent Hudson (Holli), and Tracie Hudson
Patnesky (Mike); and his grandchildren, Kristen, Austin, Conner,
Emma, Alex and Garrett.
