John Hammock

Visitation will be begin at Noon on Friday, January 9th, 2026, and the Funeral will be at 2pm at Crestwood Funeral Home for John Hammock, age 85, Gadsden, AL, who died 1/3/26. Jason Kirby will officiate. There will be no graveside service as John elected cremation. The Family requests casual dress as John was most comfortable in Magellan brand shirts, shorts, and sandals or sneakers.

John Hammock graduated from Gadsden High School and Jacksonville State University, served in the Army Reserves, and worked at the steel plant in Gadsden for over 20 years, where he strived to find the best hiding spots to read the newspaper and take a nap.

John, Johnny to his friends, was a natural born storyteller and certified yapper. He was the kind of fella that never met a stranger. He could talk about football, baseball, geography, history, the supernatural, books, music, and movies, but he really loved to talk politics. A lifelong liberal, he kept abreast of national news, and read the local newspaper everyday. He taught his daughters not to trust the government or anyone over 30. He celebrated Veteran's Day by planning out how many free meals he could get in one day and which friend would accompany him. This and his enthusiasm for any free meal earned him the name "Free Food Johnny" at his neighborhood pub.

Johnny felt most at home in two places - out in nature and in a comfy chair in the library. He loved nature and encouraged that love in his family, friends and any stranger that would listen. After he retired, he spent time traveling to different states to hike portions of the Appalachian Trail. He visited National Parks and beaches all over the U.S., but he would say that the mountains of North Georgia always called him home. He spent a few months every year at, or nearby, Vogel State Park. He spent every day he could at the Gadsden Public library. He befriended members of the staff there over the years and thought of them as his honorary grandkids. They have a special chair for him and always had a newspaper ready. I'm sure the library seems extra quiet now, but hopefully not for long as he was asked to haunt them after his passing.

John instilled values in his daughters such as a sense of adventure, imagination, whimsy and a love of horror movies. Known to be a bit stubborn (who said that?), he also taught his daughters how to debate and argue their points, something he may have regretted at certain points along his life. When they were young, he took them traveling every Summer and to the library every Saturday, sharing his passion for learning, experiencing new places, and considering new and different ideas.

After the funeral, family & friends are invited to join his daughters for John's favorite meal deals: soup, salad & breadsticks at Olive Garden.

He is survived by his daughters, Suzanne (Suzie) Hammock and Melanie (Cookie) Kirby, his son-in-law, Jason Kirby, his brother Mac Hammock, his sister, Sally Hammock, and his many nieces and nephews, Lisa, Ted, Jeff, Kay, David, Tim and Rhonda.

He is preceded in death by his parents, James and Helen Hammock, his wife, Judy Hammock, and his brothers, Jim Hammock, Ken Hammock, and Robert Hammock. A friend to all animals, he will also be met by his special pets, Pepi, Toby, and granddog Murphy.

Honorary Pallbearers will be Doug Pritchett, Don Cotton, and the entire staff of the Gadsden Public Library.

Special Thanks to Carol Wright and Amber McFadyen at the GPL, the staff at Encompass Health, and Hospice Nurses/Heroes, Britney Hamilton and Kayla Howington.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to your Local Library or Humane Society.