John Lowell Hancock

JOHN LOWELL HANCOCK, former owner of Houston Travel Center and manager of the East End Eckerman Family's Marine Industrial Engineers, died in Houston, Monday, April 11, 2005. He was born February 12, 1931 to Lowell Addison and Dorothy Barth Hancock in St. Francis, Kansas. After his early years in southern Illinois and Maryland, he served in the U.S. Army in France during the Korean War. He met Virginia Eckerman of Houston in New York while he was attending Columbia College of Columbia University. They later made their home in Houston. In 1988, John suffered a near fatal heart attack and received a transplanted heart in Washington, D.C. at Washington Hospital Center. Since that time, with the excellent care of the staff of Houston's Methodist Hospital and of Baylor's College of Medicine, this remarkable procedure and a later transplanted kidney allowed him to live an additional seventeen years. He was a caring man who enjoyed spending time with family and friends. He loved traveling, studying other cultures, and dancing. He was a great storyteller and had a wonderful sense of humor. He leaves daughters, Adrienne Hancock Cheers (Corey C.) in Virginia, and Leslie Hancock of Houston; his sister, Marjorie Trotter of Boston and her family; and his second wife, Blanca Mendez Hancock, her daughters, Ana Lugo and Gabriella Lugo, and her grandson, Emiliano of Mexico City. A celebration of his life will be held from 4:00 - 6:00 pm at Earthman Funeral Home , 8303 Katy Freeway. Afterwards, he will be buried along side his parents and sister Catharine near Baltimore, MD. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Methodist Transplant Center 6565 Fannin #SM447, Houston TX 77030, or LifeGift 5615 Kirby #900, Houston, TX 77005.