David Jay Hitzhusen

David Jay Hitzhusen, 90, died July 4, 2025. Dave was born January 5, 1935, in Rockwell, Iowa. He graduated from Rockwell High School and attended the University of Iowa, University of Hawaii, Mason City Jr. College and graduated from the University of Missouri in 1960. He was a Korean War veteran serving 23 months with the 25th Division.
David is survived by his wife of 63 years, Barbara Hitzhusen of Germantown, Tennessee; son, Dan Hitzhusen (Lorie) of West Haven, Utah; and a daughter, Beth Ann Abbonizio (Carl) of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He had 5 grandchildren: Jonathan, Joshua and Kimberly Hitzhusen and Gian & Sofia Abbonizio; and 8 great grandchildren. He greatly loved them and was known as "Gran Pops" and "Pop Pop".
He was preceded in death by his father, Henry C. Hitzhusen; mother, Elizabeth Jane Roeder Hitzhusen; an infant brother; sister, Margie Grant of Ankeny, Iowa; brothers Don Hitzhusen of Rockwell, Ben Hitzhusen of Payson, Arizona and Jerry Hitzhusen of Columbia, Missouri.
David's business career was in sales & marketing with Uni-Royal, the stock brokerage field, the travel business as national sales manager and after a short retirement of 9 years was with the Better Business Bureau.
David was a 3-sport athlete (baseball, basketball and football) in high school, American Legion, US Army and college. He was an avid golfer at Germantown Country Club for 35 years and had a great short game and cherished his Hole in Ones. In Memphis, David was president of the U of Memphis Tiger Rebounders 3 times under coaches Wayne Yates, Dana Kirk and Larry Finch.
David was most proud of originating "T" Ball in Memphis in 1970 as President of the Fox Meadows Optimist Club where he introduced it, wrote the original rules and a manual on "T" Ball, spoke to many Optimist clubs and Civic clubs in Memphis and it took off nationally after a speech at the Optimist International Convention in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1971.
In 1970 David was selected as "One of the 10 Most Outstanding Men" by the Parkway Village Jaycees; the contest winner was Elvis Presley. He also served on the Mayor's NFL Football Committee in 1972 to obtain an NFL team for Memphis. He received the Gavel Club's first "Man of the Year" award as most outstanding Civic Club President and a Key to the City from Mayor Henry Loeb for starting "T" Ball in Memphis. He served as president of the Memphis Area Missouri Alumni Association and 14 years on the Missouri National Alumni Board of Directors.
David was a parishioner of the Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit and was awarded a "Spiritus Sanctus Medal" for outstanding service. He was coordinator of Homily Prep and an active member in several ministries including the Cursillo Movement, Greeting & Welcoming, Evangelization Team, Usher Activities, Bible Study, Adult Coed Softball, The Haiti Run, Knights of Columbus and others.