Obituary
Howard Henry Hatmaker was born on August 23, 1944, and fell asleep in death a few days shy of turning 79, on August 20, 2023. As has been evident by the outpouring of emotion and comments by so many people over the last few days, Howard was loved by many. He was a humble and loving man who over the years had helped and encouraged so many and truly had a deep love for people. But there were three things that Howard loved more than anything…
Golf: The word “obsessed” may be an understatement. Howard typically only played golf on days that ended in “Y”. The laughs, memories, and cocktails that he shared with his buddies on the course are too numerous to try and count. He had the opportunity to play at places like “Muirfield”, “Doral”, “Pinehurst”, “Torrey Pines”, “Bethpage”, “Kapalua”, “Bay Hill”, and many more. He had 7 Hole-in-ones over the years and he never met a “gimme” that he didn’t like. He played his last 18 back in May at Pebble Beach with his 3 sons. Barely able to get around, he shot a 90.
More than Golf, Howard loved his family: Howard was 1 of 8 children and he loved his brothers and sisters dearly. He loved his mother and father, Bertha and Lewis, so much that up until a few days ago, he couldn’t talk about either one of them without getting a tear in his eye. His 4 children, Howie, Aleta, Chad & Clint along with his daughter-in-laws, Lindsay, Mallory & Alexis, could not begin to explain how much Howard loved them, or how much they loved him. To his 11 Grandchildren and 2 Great-Grandchildren, he’ll always be the best “Papaw” ever. But at the top of the list, there’s Linda, his wife of nearly 55 years. Howard and Linda took care of each other through good times and bad, in sickness and in health. No matter what he was going through in life, Linda’s well-being was always his chief concern…and Howard’s was her’s.
More than anything, Howard loved his Heavenly Father, Jehovah. Along with Linda, Howard was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in July of 1972. He spent the next 50 years actively talking to others about the Bible and the wonderful hope that the Bible holds out for the future. That hope will be discussed in detail at a Memorial Service on September 16, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, located at 1970 Old Kings Road North, Palm Coast, FL 32137. All are invited to attend.