Name: H.M. Patterson & Son-Canton Hill Chapel
Address: Marietta, GA

Mr Hess was my supervisor when I was just in high school in fort Myers Florida. He is the reason I succeeded at Winn-Dixie and eventually became a store manager. I will never forget him he was a great man.

Howard and I met while students at the Manatee Junior College in 1959.  After graduation we moved on to Florida State University.  Gene then moved on to Michigan State University where he earned his degree in business.  We were good friends throughout. Gene then created a successful career with his lovely wife Martha.  Closing out his and my careers, we met again in Marietta, GA. Gene and I remained close friends and could often be seen on our motorcycles.  We loved to  ride into Northern GA, for lunch at the Sawmill Place restaurant in Blairsville, GA. We made rides to North Carolina, Alabama, and Florida.  Gene loved to listen to classic country music and had personally met many of the music stars .  As a successful business man Gene remained humble, lovable and a dear friend to me  and of my wife Lynda.  Lynda lovingly called him “Hess,”.   Lynda and I often dined with Gene and Martha at their home.  Good conversations and many stories about our lives was the norm.  Martha and Gene provided tasty meals.  What a wonderful man and couple they were and wife remains.  One day Gene and I will meet again in God’s Heaven.

I met Mr. Hess in 1984. He came to the Louisville division as division president. The first time I met him he was in one of my stores in a cowboy hat and boots. He wanted to visit stores before he was introduced to all of the people in the division. I was supervisor over the Winn Dixie stores in Lexington, Kentucky.  He immediately said they wanted to build more stores in Lexington and we continued to build two new stores almost immediately.  Then he had a vision of opening stores in eastern Kentucky. Mr. Hess, Bill Northcut and myself road to eastern Kentucky and we looked at Hazard, Jackson and Prestonsburg. He said he wanted to open stores in these three locations and I said, “Well it won’t be bad, but that’ll take about 10 years”, but in the fall of 1985 we opened up Hazard and Jackson, and then in  February 1986, we opened up Prestonsburg. After that, we opened one up in Barbourville. All these were very good stores, and Mr. Hess was very proud of them. Mr. Hess got a lot of visits from Jacksonville staff that he would take and show them eastern Kentucky. On one occasion, I picked up Mr. McKellar and Mr. Hess to visit the stores and they stopped and got a pack of beechnut chewing tobacco and spit cups. On the way up there, they wanted to be country boys and they chewed their tobacco and spit in a cup all the way.  It was a great time seeing them enjoy themselves. Mr. Hess got promoted and we stayed in touch and were friends for our lifetime. He had given me mementos that I will always cherish. Before he left the division, he came to see me and I gave him a little gold Elgin pocket watch that he always kept in his top desk drawer. He reminded me every time I talked to him that he would pick it up and remember me that day. (continued in second posting.)

managers from eastern ky                                                 Mr . Hess was a very special in helping many of us younger men and women to succeed in our positions in the eastern ky stores. He gave many of us our first leadership positions and helped guide us with his leadership skills.A Great Leader And Will Be Missed !!!      1984.    Till.     2000.

My name is James Allen I work at Winn-Dixie many years. I really liked working there when Mr. Hess was the division manager. I remember once at our Hazard Ky. Store we had two weeks of 200,000.00 dollar sales weeks. That was the first time it had happened in our division. mr. Hess came to our store and took all the management team out for a steak dinner. And another time while I was a produce manager I was working and he came to visit the store and I was talking to a lady and never saw him. He watched as I helped her and sold her some red onions. Let her try one and he said that’s the way to sell produce. That was very special to a very young produce manager. Will always remember him being a great leader for our company.

Our sincere condolences to the family, classmates, and friends of our Manatee County High School Class of 1958 Alumnus.

Manatee High School Alumni Association
Bradenton, Florida

Howard was a great find and mentor.  I have known him for about 35 years. He was a man's man; you always knew where you stood with Howard. We spent many days fishing and hunting together. One of his greatest strengths was to make you feel important. He would always turn the attention from him to you, always asking how my family was and how things were progressing with my job. Somehow, he gave me the name of the world's greatest breadman and always referred to me as just that. Howard was one of a few grocerymen who had the trust of everyone he came into contact with. He will be missed by many, and I, for one, will never forget what the man meant to me. Rest in peace, my friend, and I will see you again one day.
Gene Lord

I worked for Mr. Hess at Winn-Dixie, Louisville Division.  Mr. Hess was always fair and firm leader of our division.  Winn-Dixie was lucky to have a Mr. Hess as one of Winn-Dixie's top leaders.
Condolence to The Hess Family for the loss you have endured.
Bruce Graham

OBITUARIO

Howard Hess

9 febrero, 1940 – 1 enero, 2024

H.M. Patterson & Son-Canton Hill Chapel

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