Hershell Eugene Hitchcock

Hershell Eugene “Gene” Hitchcock, 85, of Albany, Georgia, passed away early on December 30, 2025 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Gene was born to Gordon and Dora Hitchcock on December 7th, 1940 in Columbus, Georgia, before moving to McMinnville, TN in 1945. The family moved back to Georgia in 1954, settling in Albany, where Gene would attend and graduate from Albany High School. It was here that he first met Kathy Hudgens. From there he would attend South Georgia College and the University of Georgia, earning his Bachelor’s degree from UGA’s Terry College of Business.

Kathy and Gene began dating after college, and would marry in July of 1973. Their son, Eugene Reeves Hitchcock, would be born in 1977, followed by their daughter Jessica Katherine Hitchcock in 1979. The family lived in Marietta, Georgia, where Gene worked as a general contractor and Kathy taught elementary school. Moving back to Albany in 1983, Gene partnered with his father as Hitchcock Floor Finishing company. Gene had a passion for cooking, and loved nothing more than preparing a good meal for friends and family. He was a big believer in sharing recipes freely, and encouraging people to make those recipes their own, and some of those recipes have been posted at hitchcockfloorfinishing.com.

Gene is survived by his children Reeves and Jessica(Mike), his granddaughter Alexa, and his sister Gloria. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Kathy, his parents Gordon and Dora, and his sister Brenda.

Visitation will be held at Matthews Funeral Home in Albany, Georgia, on Saturday January 3rd, 2026 from 10AM to noon. An interment service will be held at a later date at St. Philip’s Cathedral in Atlanta, Georgia.

The family offers thanksgiving for the kindness and warmth of the team at the chemo infusion center and the support and guidance of the local hospice; and enormous gratitude for the Marietta Middle School and St. Luke’s Bethesda communities for allowing Reeves and Jessica to be with Gene for these past weeks. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to your local area food bank in honor of Gene’s passion for feeding people, or the American Cancer Society to support their research in cancer prevention and treatment.

Feed the Valley (Albany, GA) http://feedingthevalley.org

Atlanta Community Food Bank http://acfb.org

Capital Area Food Bank (DC, Maryland, & Virginia) https://www.capitalareafoodbank.org

American Cancer Society http://cancer.org