WILLIAM HOOKS
Died Jan. 21, 2010
PRINCETON -- William R. "Bill R." Hooks, passed away peacefully Thursday at the home of his sister after a long battle with malignant melanoma.
Funeral services will be held Monday at 10 a.m. in Princeton United Methodist Church, where he enjoyed attending services with his sister. The Rev. Michael Coppock will officiate. Burial will be in Willowdale Cemetery in Goldsboro.
Bill R., as he was called, was the son of the late William R. and Kathryn S. Hooks of Goldsboro.
A native of Wayne County, and a long-time resident of both Wilmington and Raleigh, Bill R. grew up in the Cherry Hospital community. He was a graduate of Goldsboro High School, where he was a star athlete in basketball and track and field, achieving conference and state recognition. He attended the North Carolina State University School of Design and later worked with the McDonald's Corp. as a construction engineer, designing and supervising the building of many of its restaurants from the late 1970s through the early 1990s.
He was an avid golfer and represented McDonald's in many celebrity golf tournaments. Most recently, he was a self-employed general contractor until declining health forced his retirement.
Pallbearers will be members of the 1960 Goldsboro High School Earthquakes basketball team. Members of his beloved Goldsboro High School class of 1960 will serve as honorary pallbearers.
Bill R. is survived by a son, Thomas Hollowell Hooks of Greenville; a daughter, Lisa Gibson and husband, Chris, of Hamstead; a sister, Kathy Edwards and husband, Tommy, of Princeton; a brother, Jack Hooks and wife, Jan, of Wilmington; a niece, Kate Hooks of Chapel Hill; and two granddaughters, Isabelle and Madelyn Gibson.
Bill R. had a great love and knowledge of sports and boating and will be remembered in his loud Tommy Bahama shirts, Panama hat and celebrating sunsets on his yacht, the "Never Say Never Again."
The family will receive friends at Parrish Funeral Home, 305 Barden St. in Princeton, today from 5 to 7 p.m.
Memorial contributions may be made to Princeton United Methodist Church kitchen project fund, P.O. Box 116, Princeton, N.C., 27569.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.parrishfh.com.
(Pd)
Published in Obituaries on January 24, 2010 11:23 AM