James Edward Hook

James Hook Obituary Beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend, Dr. James (Jim) Edward Hook, age 75, of Tifton, GA passed away June 28, 2022 after battling cancer. A Funeral Mass will be held Saturday, July 2, 2022 at 11:00am at Our Divine Saviour Catholic Church with Father Peter Oyenugba and Deacon J. Brian Bergeron officiating. Visitation will be at the church on Friday, July 1 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm, preceded by the Rosary at 6:45pm. Jim was born April 24, 1947 in Washington, D.C. He attended Pennsylvania State University where he received a B.S. and M.S. in Agronomy in 1969 and 1971, respectively. He then continued studies earning his Ph.D in Agronomy in 1975. It was Jim’s love for soil and water conservation that brought him to the University of Georgia Tifton Campus. For over 40 years Georgia Agriculture was blessed to have Jim providing scientific soil conservation and crop water use data. His recommendations helped farmers make better irrigation decisions and gave policy makers accurate information to guide them as they developed laws that governed water use. Jim, a respected, personable research scientist, was a major force in the development of the Stripling Irrigation Park near Camilla, Georgia, and The National Environmentally Sound Production Agricultural Laboratory on UGA’s Tifton Campus. Jim served on many high impact groups, including the Joint Georgia Comprehensive Water Plan Study Committee. The data from that study was especially valuable during arguments over water use rights between Georgia, Florida and Alabama before the U.S. Supreme Court, which ultimately ruled in Georgia’s favor. Sigma Xi’s Distinguished Service Award was one of several awards given to Jim for research contributions with high originality and impact. His contributions live on through many scientific journal articles, book chapters, reports, and through the knowledge he imparted on his fellow scientists and students. As fellow scientist, and friend, Elizabeth Blood said “I learned so much from him. Not just about science, but how to be a decent and caring person”. Outside of work and after retirement Jim enjoyed traveling throughout the U.S. and Europe with his wife, Sharon, visiting family and learning about other cultures. He was an avid photographer and was rarely found without a camera in hand or close by. He enjoyed studying and researching family genealogy, gathering the stories, visiting where families came from, and putting all the information together to share. He loved movies and would often watch one or more a day while working on his hobbies. Jim started writing to share stories with his grandchildren, and it soon became a passion that turned into six full length books. In the community Jim was a longtime active member of Our Divine Saviour Catholic Church in Tifton. He served on the church council as president, led youth as a CCD teacher, and used his love of photography to create multiple church directories over the years. He was a Boy Scout cubmaster. And he also served many years in the Tift County High School band booster club, as both president and member. He is preceded in death by his parents, John (Buck) Edward Hook and Aurora Marie Hook, as well as his sister, Carol Ann Mikules. Jim is survived by his wife of 54 years, Sharon Ann Hook, of Tifton, GA., his five children: Michael Hook (Alexandra) of Todi, Italy; Christopher Hook (Maria) of Suwanee, GA; Jessica Hook of Waltham, MA; Nicole Cary (Jeff) of Scottsdale, AZ; and Jeffrey Hook (Amber) of Cumming, GA., ten grandchildren: Eleanor Huber (Matthew) of Morrisville, NC; Florence-Edward Hook of Todi, Italy; Ashley Hook of London, England; Jeremy Hook of Catania, Italy; C. James Hook of London, England; Kaitlyn Hill of San Diego, CA; Ashlee Hill of Scottsdale, AZ; Theresa Nieboer of Suwanee, GA; Savannah Hook of Suwannee, GA; and Elijah Hook of Cumming, GA., one baby girl great grandchild on the way in July and three siblings: Terry McMahon (Robert) of Gordonsville, VA; Susan Pfennig (Frank) of Monroe, GA; and John Hook(Adele) of Selbyville, DE. Memorial contributions may be made to the Our Divine Saviour Building Fund (1205 Love Ave., Tifton, GA 31794) or Hospice of Tift Area (MySouthwell.com/Hospice/). To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of James Edward Hook, please visit our floral store. Read More

James Edward Hook

April 24, 1947 - June 28, 2022