Louis Wilson Hatcher

Louis Wilson Hatcher, born in Clay County, Arkansas on April 1st, 1939, to Emmett Hatcher and Lucille Farmer Hatcher, passed away on August 14th, 2023. He grew up in northeastern Arkansas on a farm near the towns of Greenway and Piggott until the age of 12, when the family sold the farm and moved to Michigan. 

Louis was an excellent storyteller, and the old homestead provided many memories for those stories, which included fruit orchards, horseback riding, and dangerous animals in the untamed underbrush of the woods. Michigan also did not disappoint with its own adventures of the country boy in the city, and it was also during this time that he was baptized as a teenager. When he was 18, he served in the army in Germany during the Cold War. This was also the source of many stories in which he seemed to be having fun and keeping everyone on their toes. He went on to have several types of jobs such as attendant nurse at a state hospital, salesman of water softeners and insurance, and truck driver. He traveled all around the US, collecting even more experiences and stories. While in school in Michigan, he learned the skills that would lead him to become a machinist and toolmaker. He was able to solve mechanical and mathematical problems with ease and enjoyment, often making himself indispensable to companies along the way. He eventually worked for and retired from General Dynamics/Lockheed, where he worked on the F16. Among other projects, he also taught himself to write computer programs and loved to show people what he’d created. 

Throughout most of this full life, his wife, Marian Leigh Moore Hatcher, was there with him until her passing on September 11th, 2019. He is also preceded in death by his parents and three of his brothers, Don, Glenn Leon, and Roy Emmett. He is survived by his daughter, Andrea Leigh Burk, and her children, Esmodea and Dylan. He is also survived by his daughter Heather Joie O'Brien and her children, Alexander and Ian as well as his “adopted” daughter Claudia and her children, Ephraim, Brian, and Daniella. Also still living is his oldest brother, Norris Gene Hatcher, many other cousins, nieces and nephews, as well as many beloved friends who were just like family. 

He was a fun, inventive, caring person who was a good friend to all. Everyone who met him is now blessed with many great memories to include as part of their own stories.

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