Obituary Notice: Mack B. Hester

Mack B. Hester, who worked as a towboat captain for 64 years for American Commercial Lines, died September 15 in Mobile, Ala., at the age of 81.

A native of Pascagoula, Miss., Hester was the sixth of 12 children born to Steve and Etta Hester. On March 13, 1964, Hester married the love of his life, Gwendolyn. The couple shared 61 years of marriage and had one daughter, Pam.

Hester was preceded in death by his parents and his 11 siblings. He is survived by his wife, Gwendolyn, their daughter, Pam Hester Hupko, and son-in-law, Chip, three grandchildren and five great grandchildren, along with numerous nieces and nephews.

Besides captaining towboats, Hester was a gifted woodworker, building tables, chairs, cradles, chests and picture frames over the years. He also remodeled, rebuilt and converted a bus into an RV, in which he and his wife traveled extensively.

A visitation and memorial service was held September 19 in Pascagoula with the Rev. John Turner officiating. A burial service followed at Johnson Cemetery in Wade, Miss.