John P. Hacala's Obituary
John P. Hacala, age 86 of Rogers, passed away Thursday, March 9, 2023, at Circle of Life Hospice in Bentonville, Arkansas. He was born May 27, 1936, in Charleston, West Virginia, the son of Martin and Mary Niebauer Hacala. He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers, two grandchildren and his wife of 59 years, Jean.
He is survived by his four children Marty Hacala and his wife Jennifer Jackson of Rowayton, CT; Steve Hacala and his wife Betty of Rogers, AR; Tim Hacala and his wife Sara of Chesterfield, MO; and Mary Beth Chance and her husband Steve of Merritt Island, FL; his brother Tom Hacala and his wife Sara of Savannah, GA; and nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren and another on the way.
John’s educational background consisted of a bachelor’s degree in History and Philosophy from Marquette University. During this time, he received a Konrad Adenauer scholarship to study at the University of Bonn in Germany, where he learned to speak the language fluently. After graduating college, he served six years in the United States Marine Corps and Marine Corps Reserves as a fixed-wing and helicopter pilot, earning the rank of Captain. He was honorably discharged in 1965. In 1970, John earned his MBA from Michigan State University.
He was an innovative merchandiser and entrepreneur who had a long and illustrious career in retail, which began with the J.L Hudson Company in Detroit. He progressed through various merchandising and operations positions at Target, McCrory stores and Mohr Value stores (a subsidiary of Wetterau, Inc.) where he served as President and negotiated with Walmart on their first corporate acquisition through the sale of 16 Mohr Value stores in Missouri and Illinois. He continued on to Venture Stores, and eventually ended his retail career as Chairman, CEO and President of Spencer Gifts, Inc. including Spirit Halloween Stores, which he led for 17 years before retiring. During his retirement, he assisted his wife Jean with the ownership and operation of Atlantic Nursery, a retail garden center and commercial landscaping company in Mays Landing, NJ.
Throughout his life, he was a devout Roman Catholic. He held various leadership positions in many parishes across the country and served the Vatican on a special initiative. He carried his philanthropy outside of the church by generously contributing his time to a host of causes, which included several leadership roles in the United Way and the President’s Advisory Council of Business and Industry. He served on the Board of Directors of the National Retail Federation and volunteered with the Marine Corps League. He devoted time to US swimming, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), and Sugar Creek Swim Club as President in Kirkwood, MO from 1977-1984. In 1990, he was honored with the American Heritage Award by the Anti-Defamation League.
John loved animals and rescued dozens of dogs and cats with his wife, Jean, over the years. He was an avid reader, boater, and fisherman. You could often find him fishing for striped bass in the Great Bay or the Mullica River in New Jersey on his favorite boat, Fish DiSpencer. Above all of John’s greatest accomplishments, he valued the love of his family the most. John was at his happiest when surrounded by loved ones sharing stories, telling jokes, watching movies, and enjoying each other’s company. He had an incredible sense of humor and was always ready with a smile and joke for every occasion; it was hard not to smile when around him.
A Rosary will be held at 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm on Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Nelson-Berna Funeral Home Rogers with visitation following until 4:00 p.m. *** Due to the road closure of 28th street on Sunday the 19th the only access to the funeral home will be from Walnut street please call the funeral home with any questions***
His Funeral Mass will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, March 20, 2023, at St. Stephen Catholic Church in Bentonville with entombment to follow at Pinnacle Memorial Gardens under the direction of Nelson-Berna Funeral Home Rogers. A live stream of the service may be viewed at https://my.gather.app/remember/john-hacala
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to:
Circle of Life Hospice
https://nwacircleoflife.com/
The Marine Corps League
https://www.mclnational.org
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