James Dean J.D. Hines, Jr.

(July 06, 1926 - February 02, 2020)

James Dean ( J. D. ) Hines, Jr. of Tyler, passed away on Sunday, February 2, 2020, at the age of 93. J.D. was born in Groesbeck, Texas on July 6, 1926. As a youngster, he plowed his father’s cotton field behind a team of Missouri mules. He graduated from Groesbeck High where he had also played football as a Groesbeck Goat. After high school, J. D. received his Medical Lab Technician certification from the Northwest Institute of Medical Technology in East Hampton, Minnesota. At age 17 he joined the U.S. Navy in the midst of World War II and was stationed at the naval hospital in New Orleans. His Commanding Officer recognized his medical skills and canceled J. D.’s transfer orders some twenty-two times, keeping him at the hospital for the duration of the war. After the war, J.D. attended Baylor University but was forced to leave due to medically-related financial difficulties. He moved to Houston to take a lab tech position with Jeff Davis Hospital but was quickly moved into a leadership role in the hospital’s blood bank. It was in the labs at Jeff Davis that he met a lab tech co-worker Laverne A. Morgan who became the love of his life and his wife for over 70 years. Here his skills were requested by cardiac pioneer Michael DeBakey in DeBakey’s first openheart surgeries. J. D. went to work for Abbott Laboratories as a pharmaceutical sales representative in 1952. He worked for Abbott for 33 years, ending his career with Abbott as their Hospital Equipment and Supplies Representative. J.D. was beloved in the East Texas medical community as he was always willing to answer emergency calls from hospitals running short of supplies and he often made “midnight runs” to distant hospitals trying to save lives. He was an enthusiastic hunter and fisherman and a talented woodworker. He was a founding member of the Woods Baptist Church and deacon. J.D. was a loving husband and father. He is survived by wife, Morgan Hines and his three children: Steven Hines of Blanco, Sandy Knecht of Johnson City and Jadell Hines of Blanco; grandchildren: Jennifer Turner, Stephanie Raney, Cristelle Hines, Morgan Knecht, Klint Knecht, Darcy Medina, Brandon Kerr, and Aubrie Juvé; and ten great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his father, James Dean Hines, and mother, Sarah Hines, sister, LingaNell Willard, infant daughter, Angela Hines, and grandson, Spencer Knecht J. D. touched the lives of those around him by his unwavering faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, his gentle nature, and witty sense of humor. His memory will continue to guide the lives of his loved ones where he will be thought of often and loved forever.

Funeral preparations are being made at Jackson’s Burks Walker Tippit Funeral Directors in Tyler, Texas. Graveside Services will be held at Faulkenberry Cemetery in Groesbeck, Texas, Friday, February 7, 2020, at 1:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Woods Baptist Church, 4502 SH-248 Spur, Tyler, TX 75707