Jon Philip Hadley

On March 11, 2016, Jon Philip Hadley, 68, passed away after a courageous 2 year battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Maddy, from Marietta, son Jeff, daughter-in-law Megan and granddaughter Lola from Greensboro, NC. He was born June 9, 1947 to the late Harry Leroy and Ruth Tedford Hadley in Glens Falls, NY.

Growing up Jon was active in Boy Scouts and while in High School received his Eagle Scout Award. Jon played football, baseball, and wrestled at Glens Falls High School and went on to play football in college, first at Cornell and then at Alma College. Jon is still close with many of his classmates of ’65 from GFHS.

Jon graduated from Alma College in 1970. After his wedding to Maddy Franklin in 1971, they moved to Massachusetts where he was a service advisor at Begetta VW. Between jobs in 1974, he and his wife traveled across country in his Porsche 914 camping for 7 weeks. Upon his return he became Service Manager at Berkshire Auto Haus (Porsche/Audi dealership). He loved cars and racing and crewed for a friend who raced SCCA races. At a race in New Hampshire, he met Paul Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward. He had just returned from their trip across country and had picked up a case of Coors Beer (before it was sold in the East) and he had one waiting for Paul when he pulled into the pits after the race. It was a fun story he liked to tell but is also fitting because all through life he loved to buy a round for family and friends and enjoy a good conversation.

In 1977 he moved to Marietta where he worked for several engineering firms as a project administrator until he retired in 2004. Baseball was his passion and watching his son Jeff play baseball was one of his greatest joys. As a coach he was known for keeping stats and being the disciplinarian, but had the love and respect of many young men. He was also a fixture around the ballpark, whether it was working on the field or watching the next class of kids come through. He kept track of all the guys who were drafted from local Cobb County High Schools and followed their success in both the minor and major leagues. He had a mind for details and could remember specific plays, who was pitching and what the final score was.

Later in life Jon developed a strong interest in genealogy. He did extensive research on the Holden and Hadley families. His interest in genealogy took him way beyond Ancestry.com (although he spent a lot of time there). He was the key force behind several family reunions bringing together cousins who hadn’t seen each other in years or had never met before. He took an interest in the Civil War where 10 of his direct ancestors had fought. He joined the local chapter of SUVCW (Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War) and enjoyed visiting Civil War Battlefields in the North and the South. He attended the 150th Anniversary of the Andersonville Prison in June of 2015 where his relative Ben Hall had been a prisoner of war.

Jon was very proud of his country and although he never was in the service, he had the utmost of respect for those who served. Right before his death, it was important for him to get to the polls to vote in the Presidential Primary Election. He fulfilled his civic duty and once again made a difference.

Jon lived his life with determination. He took on difficult tasks always with a positive attitude. This combination made him the dependable friend, co-worker, husband, father and grandfather that so many people counted on. When he was first diagnosed with cancer his motto became “Stay Strong Team Hadley and we will win!” Positive Attitude and a smile went a long ways. His selfless attitude often had him concerned more with family and friends than with himself even in the hard days battling cancer.

Jon was a perfectionist and although he might not get a task done as quickly as some would like, the end results were what was important. He was a man of detail and his motto was “do it right the first time.” Unfortunately, his life is one thing he completed ahead of schedule. Family was one of Jon’s biggest priorities from his parents to his granddaughter and yet he delighted in getting to know people and made friends both near and far feel like family. His warm and loving smile, his generous heart, and loyalty will be missed by many.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (www.pancan.org) in hopes of helping to advance research and treatment for this deadly cancer or Caring Bridge (www.caringbridge.org). Caring Bridge is a Non-Profit website used to provide updates but more importantly allowed family and friends a place to post much needed support and encouragement during the past two years.

A celebration of Jon’s life will be held Saturday, March 26th, 2PM at H.M Patterson Funeral Home, 1157 Old Canton Road, Marietta, GA 30068.

Visitation will begin at 1PM and a reception will follow at the Hadley house.