2003

UHS, ECGrad Hitt w.1s n graduate of Union High School, ECCC (Class of 1991), the University of Mississippi, where he receiwd a bache– lor's degree in public administration, and Mississippi State Universitv~ where he earned a masler;s degree in counselor educa- tion. . In addition to his wife and daughter, other sun·ivors include his parents, Bobby and Gert~ldine Hitt, his sis– ter, Alethia Gt~il Hilt and his maternal grandmother. Eunice Dickerson, all of Union; his paternal grand– mother, Effie Mac Mitchum of Cumming, GA; and his mother-in-law, rayc Chesney I Ienley of r lid.orv lie was preceded in death b): his sister, Kathy Lynn Httt. Pallbearers were Clay Barnett, Billv McCune, Dale PaLtilo, Roger Whillock. Ronald B. Westbrook, Scotty Russell, Chris Clark and Britt Harris. Honor,try pall– bearers were members of the ECCC Alumni Association and the Newlon Countv Ole Miss Alumni Association.

tcrs at HtU s funeral service. R 5 e made the fol– Hitt Cc1 ~ ' as un extremeh fine young man, one of th ' most honest people l'vc ever known. He was Jlso very talented and a very godly man. He was as fine a per– son <.ls you would ever want to be around. I think vou could tell he hud made .:m impact in many lives by the fact lhcre were on~rflow crowds at both the visitation at Milling (Funeral Home in Union) and at the funeral service at. Hickory Baptist Church." 3-Year Old Daughter Whitlock added that there were three things central to IIitt's life, and one did not have to know him very long to realize \.vhat mt~llered most: his wife, the fomwr Linda Henlciv of Hickory; their three-year-old daugh– ter, Gillian; and his God. "He loved his wife and daughter because God had given them to him, and he treated them like blessings from God." Between the time Hitt col– lapsed and the time he died, he was on life support at the hospital. "I told someone that during Jeff's batlle, there was no more worthv candidate for a mirt~cle, nor had anvone demonstr.1ted m their lite more readiness for cternitv," Whtllock stated. "And in true Jeff Hitt fash– ion, he was an organ donor, so even in death, he gave a quantity of other people a nc'' chance at life ,.

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Active in Community H: t~ '"as also active in numerous organizations. He was a member of the Newton County Ole Miss Alumni Association and the ECCC Alumni Association. He was treasurer of the ECCC Administration, Faculty and Staff Association, a member of the Mississippi Faculty Association for Community and Junior Colleges, and co– sponsor of the FellO\'I'Ship of Christian Athletes at ECCC. He served as an associnte minister at the Union Church of God, and "' orkcd with the Union Public School S} stem and the Newton Counl\ Alternative School prior to joining the ECCC staff. He was the sports announcer for the Newton Countv Acadernv Generals. · · Associate Pastor As an associate pastor for the Union Church of Christ, Hitt often stood in for the Re,. Paul Swindle, who was one of the officiating minic;-

who are a empting to earn a degree or upgrade their skills and knowledge base to qualif} for a better cdn.>er opportunity. Made A Difference "And thanks to Jt.•ff's efforts, "Whitlock contin– ued, "many students are nm\. experiendng successful careers. Jeff was a special, gifted man who appreciated each opportunit} to have a godly impact in his service of others." When he was not helping students achieve their career goals, Hitt was recrmtmg students to attend East Central. He was mainly responsible for recruiLing students from Leake County. Joe Killens, Vice President for Student Services who coordinatts the College's recruiting efforts, said he has also lost an "irreplaceable" staff member. "From the first day he worked in our office as a summer recruiter about three years ago, I realized that he was someone that we needed on staff full time at East Central. \\'hen Jeff was hired by Mr. Whillock, he continl!ed to recruit three schools in Leake County. Jeff was one of those individuals that would go above ,md beyond in anythmg that he did Ht. cared about all stu– dents. He wj)) be deeply sed as a C'O-\o; orker and ___.._....._ s is an exam- ple that we all need to try to follow. Even though his life was a short one, there is no doubt Lhal he was ready to meet his Lord," Killens st~id.