JOHN ARL HATLEY Jr.

Fort Worth, Texas – John Arl Hatley Jr., a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend, passed away peacefully in his sleep Thursday morning, October 5.  He was 79.

A Celebration of His Life will be held at 5:30 pm Sunday, December 17, at the Marty Leonard Community Chapel, 3131 Sanguinet Street.

Born and raised in Fort Worth, John was the son of Arl and Adaline Gutweiler Hatley.  He joined the family business, Hatley Distributing Company, where he served as a president.

John met his wife, Nikki Benzler, in Fort Worth where they raised their three children, Susan, Jason and David, near his childhood home.  They were married for 55 years before his death.

He was a kind and principled man and a devoted husband and father, John loved attending Rangers games with his boys and coaching their baseball teams.  He enjoyed bicycling and was a founding member of the Fort Worth Bicycling Association and passed that lifelong passion on to his son, Jason, and nephew, Scott Paulsel.  He loved pickin’ bluegrass with his friends.  Fun to be with, he could make the entire room laugh with his wit and humor.

A lifelong learner, John attended TCU and in recent years he greatly enjoyed attending its Silver Frogs program for seniors.

He was preceded in death by his parents and daughter, Susan, who died earlier this year.

In addition to his wife, Nikki, John is survived by his sons, Jason and David; and his grandchildren, Henry and Arlo Mason, and Nevan, Mason and Ellie Hatley.

He will be deeply missed by his family and friends.  John was a wonderful man who touched the lives of many.