Capt. Pearl Otto Hatley, Jr.'s Obituary
Capt. Pearl Otto "P.O." Hatley, Jr.
Graveside services for P. O. Hatley, Jr., a longtime resident of Longview, will be conducted Thursday, June 14, 2012 at Rosewood Park, Longview starting at 11am under the direction of Rader Funeral Home of Longview. P. O. was born December 29, 1930, in Ranger, Texas, to P.O. Hatley, Sr. and Youree Long Hatley, and passed away, Sunday, June 10, 2012, in a local hospital after an extended illness.
P.O. graduated from Rusk High School, attended Lon Morris Junior College, and then received both a BS and MS in Agriculture from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. After college, he joined the U. S. Navy where he attended Officer Candidate School; then served as Gunnery Officer aboard the U.S.S. Rendezvous during the Korean War. He loved the Navy dearly and served as the Commanding Officer of the Tyler, Texas active reserve unit; retiring as a Captain after 30 years of service.
He was a 30 year employee of the Social Security Administration; having worked in McAllen, Texas, and Lawton, Oklahoma, before spending 28 years in the Longview office. Being not only a U.S. government employee for many years, he was also a longtime land owner and cattleman in Gregg, Cherokee, and Smith counties. He was a member of the Naval Retirees Association, the Texas Cattleman's Association, and the Texas Forestry Association.
His love for the Longview Lobo football team is indescribable. He was a season ticket holder and had not missed a Lobo game, including playoff games, for over 40 years.
Preceding him in death were his parents and sister, Francine McCauley. Left to cherish his memory is his wife of nearly 52 years, Mary Faith Stoddard Hatley, of Longview. Also surviving are his sons, Dr. Richard Hatley, and his wife Deborah of Paris, Texas, Randall Hatley of Longview, and Ronald Hatley and his wife, Valerie, of Austin Texas.
He also leaves behind two grandchildren, Jonathan and Madeleine Hatley of Paris, Texas; a brother-in-law, F. G. Stoddard of Bonham, Texas; a sister and brother-in-law, Jane and Tom Rogers of Georgetown, Texas; along with several nephews, nieces, great nephews, great nieces, and a host of cousins. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in P. O.'s name to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society nmcrs.org or the charity of your choice. There will be no scheduled family visitation at the funeral Home.
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