John "Jack" Charles Hooton, age 82, of Niceville, FL, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, August 8, 2021 in Niceville, Fl. Jack was born on November 27, 1938 in Chelsea, MA to the late Walter Hooton and Pearl Titcomb Hooton Lailer. In addition to his parents he is preceded in death by his step-father, William Lailer.

Jack was a beloved father and grandfather who will be missed by all who knew him. He was a patriotic American who served in support of our great nation for more than 55 years. Jack served as an airman in the United States Air Force, Civil Service and the Department of Defense Contractors including, Scientific Research Corporation where until his passing, served as Director of Business and Proposal Development. He was also an honorary member of the Florida Sheriff's Association for 21 years.

Jack's main hobbies were working on various home improvement projects, golf and spending time traveling. His latest projects included remodeling his home in Bluewater Bay and building a deck for his vacation retreat in the Georgia Mountains. He truly enjoyed the outdoors and was almost always seen casually dressed in a simple tee shirt, shorts and flip flops, and of course, a baseball cap. He had a true love for his grand dog, Zeus, who joined him for months at a time at his mountain retreat.

Those left to cherish his memory include, his son, Jeff Hooton (Mona), of Shalimar, FL; his daughter, Denise Reid, of Ft. Collins, CO; three grandchildren, Darby Hooton Diaz (Max), of Richmond, VA, Jonah Hooton, of Tampa, FL, Deuce Reid, of Ft. Collins, CO, and his grand dog, Zeus; the mother of his children and former wife, Martha Klatt Hooton, of Milton, FL; his brother, Walter Lailer (Leslie), of Southampton, MA; his sister, Linda Lailer, of Woburn, MA; his nephew, Philip Lailer, of Holyoke, MA; his niece, Kim Lailer (Sean) and their children Pearl and Declan, of Gloucester, MA.

A service to honor Jacks life will be held at 8:30am on Monday, August 16, 2021 at Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel, Pensacola FL, with Reverend Ken Griffin, officiating. The family will receive friends from 8:00am until 8:30am prior to the service Monday. A committal service will follow at Barrancas National Cemetery, Pensacola, FL. Military honors will be accorded by the United States Air Force.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to FHP Sgt Ron Livingston for his unprecedented compassion and professionalism. They would also like to thank the Diaz family of Miramar, FL for the seamless unification of the Hooton and Diaz families under the motto, FAMILY FIRST.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff's Charities at https://www.sheriff-okaloosa.org/ocso-sheriffs-star-charities/