Cleburne Times-Review, Cleburne, TX

Local News

December 2, 2009

Community remembers longtime nurse, friend

Family and friends remember Robert T. “Bob” Hadley Jr., who passed away Sunday at age 84, for decades of dedication to his church, university and youths in his life.

He was born May 9, 1925, near Joshua, where he was a sixth-generation Texan and fifth-generation Johnson County resident. His family operated a farm, dairy and raised short-horn cattle.

After a seven-month battle with polio, Bob became interested in nursing at school and earned his nursing degree from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.

He worked 13 years as the evening charge nurse for adolescents at Fort Worth Children’s Hospital, then 13 years as the evening nursing coordinator for Huguley Memorial Medical Center.

For another 13 years, Bob served as the director of health services for Southwestern Adventist University, where his passion to help young people was put to use.

“I can tell you he was an excellent person, and I can remember a time when my husband was here as a student going on his first mission trip to Africa, and he gave them all the shots,” said Theresa Mendoza, secretary to vice president for enrollment at SWAU. “My husband was remembering him last night, saying what a wonderful Christian man he was.”

Bob was also the president of the Committee of 100, a philanthropic organization at the university, for more than 30 years and the president for the Caddo Cemetery Association.

He served as a church elder and taught youth classes at the Joshua Seventh-day Adventist Church for more than 50 years.

When medical insurance wouldn’t help, Bob supplied students with the medicines they needed. And when times got tough, he supplied them with an open heart.

“Most of the time while he was at the college as the school nurse, there were lots of kids who would just come to him with their problems, maybe they split up with their boyfriend or weren’t doing well financially or failing a class, and they would just talk,” said Mary Ann Hadley, who married Bob in 1979. “So, he was their friend.”

Even after retiring from the university, Bob nurtured his connection with the students with barn bashes at his home, including hayrides and activities.

“They did it at his property, and they just had an amazing time. Of course, this year was the first year we didn’t do it on his property because he was already ill,” Mendoza said. “They did on some other property, and it just wasn’t a good experience at all without him involved because he made it so much fun.”

Mary Ann Hadley received an avalanche of condolences — expressing shock and sadness, sharing humorous memories and demonstrating Bob’s impact on several lives.

SWAU President Eric Anderson informed the faculty saying, “A founding member of the Committee of 100, Bob will be remembered for his generosity and dedication. He lived simply, pouring his time and resources into the Kingdom.”

Jonathan Guerrero, one of the people who contacted Mary Ann Hadley, said “anyone could walk into his office anytime and talk about anything and every time you left, you felt better than you came in.”

Others who contacted Mary Ann Hadley included Ron Hoehn, who said Bob left an “indelible mark” on his life, and LeeAnn Kent Miller, who said Bob was the epitome of a true Christian.

“I loved Bob very much, and he always knew just what to say to put a smile on my face,” said Kenny Bodine, another person who sent condolences to Mary Ann Hadley. “Bob played a big part in helping Laura and I figure things out and be together. I could never repay him for that gift.”

Although Bob leaves several family members and friends behind, he leaves a mark on anyone he worked or lived with.

“He had a way to connect with people, even with little kids, and especially at church. We would come to church and he would see this little guy, just barely walking, and he would shake hands with him. He would do that every week and developed a rapport with little kids, but also with teenage kids,” Mary Ann Hadley said. “It was like he was a kid at heart.”

Visitation is from 6-8 p.m. today at the Crosier-Pearson Cleburne Funeral Home at 512 N. Ridgeway Drive. Services are set for 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Joshua Seventh-Day Adventist Church at 1912 Conveyor Drive in Joshua.

Text Only
Cleburne
First Team Defense.jpg

Front, from left, are Grandview’s Caleb Hollingsworth, Cleburne’s Zach Haler, Joshua’s Jordan Garrett, Alvarado’s A.J. Castillo, Xavier Holbert, Kenny Adams and Marcus McNeil, Cleburne’s Conner Martyniuk and Godley’s Drew Benge. Standing, from left, are Alvarado’s Ronald Thomas, C.J. Johnson and Alex Gentrey, Grandview’s Austin Wylie and Caleb Armstrong. Not pictured is Alvarado’s Marcus Villarreal.

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    The first-team offense included Alvarado quarterback Kenny West and Burleson quarterback Barrett Cain.

    January 29, 2012 2 Photos

  • Second Team Offense.jpg Cleburne, Grandview, Burleson lead second team offense, defense

    The 2011 Lone Star Chrysler Dodge Jeep Autoplex All-Johnson-County football team has been announced. The team was chosen by the Times-Review sports department based on all-district selections and coaches’ nominations.
    The second-team offense was led by Cleburne’s Quade Coward and Godley’s Rhett Brawner as the second-team quarterbacks.

    January 29, 2012 2 Photos

  • DSC_0031.JPG Cleburne pulls away from Burleson, 62-48

    The Cleburne Yellow Jackets beat Burleson, 62-48, on Friday night at Yellow Jacket Gym to move to 2-7 in District 7-A play. Burleson fell to 2-7 in league play with the loss.

    January 28, 2012 1 Photo

  • DSC_9414.JPG Lady Jackets pick up first District 7-4A win

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Johnson County
Alvarado
Superlatives.jpg

Standing, from left, are Grandview’s Ryan Breton (offensive most valuable player) and Austin Martinez (Ironman award winner), Alvarado’s Wayne Onderdonck (county MVP) and Brazos Fuller (co-newcomer of the year), Burleson’s Ayinde Alaajiy (co-newcomer of the year), Godley’s Blake Washinton (co-linemen of the year), Alvarado’s Tyler Bates (defensive MVP), Alvarado Head Coach Jeff Dixon (coach of the year) and Grandview’s Davis Scarbrough (co-linemen of the year).

Burleson
Superlatives.jpg

Standing, from left, are Grandview’s Ryan Breton (offensive most valuable player) and Austin Martinez (Ironman award winner), Alvarado’s Wayne Onderdonck (county MVP) and Brazos Fuller (co-newcomer of the year), Burleson’s Ayinde Alaajiy (co-newcomer of the year), Godley’s Blake Washinton (co-linemen of the year), Alvarado’s Tyler Bates (defensive MVP), Alvarado Head Coach Jeff Dixon (coach of the year) and Grandview’s Davis Scarbrough (co-linemen of the year).

Godley
Superlatives.jpg

Standing, from left, are Grandview’s Ryan Breton (offensive most valuable player) and Austin Martinez (Ironman award winner), Alvarado’s Wayne Onderdonck (county MVP) and Brazos Fuller (co-newcomer of the year), Burleson’s Ayinde Alaajiy (co-newcomer of the year), Godley’s Blake Washinton (co-linemen of the year), Alvarado’s Tyler Bates (defensive MVP), Alvarado Head Coach Jeff Dixon (coach of the year) and Grandview’s Davis Scarbrough (co-linemen of the year).

Grandview
Superlatives.jpg

Standing, from left, are Grandview’s Ryan Breton (offensive most valuable player) and Austin Martinez (Ironman award winner), Alvarado’s Wayne Onderdonck (county MVP) and Brazos Fuller (co-newcomer of the year), Burleson’s Ayinde Alaajiy (co-newcomer of the year), Godley’s Blake Washinton (co-linemen of the year), Alvarado’s Tyler Bates (defensive MVP), Alvarado Head Coach Jeff Dixon (coach of the year) and Grandview’s Davis Scarbrough (co-linemen of the year).

Joshua
First Team Defense.jpg

Front, from left, are Grandview’s Caleb Hollingsworth, Cleburne’s Zach Haler, Joshua’s Jordan Garrett, Alvarado’s A.J. Castillo, Xavier Holbert, Kenny Adams and Marcus McNeil, Cleburne’s Conner Martyniuk and Godley’s Drew Benge. Standing, from left, are Alvarado’s Ronald Thomas, C.J. Johnson and Alex Gentrey, Grandview’s Austin Wylie and Caleb Armstrong. Not pictured is Alvarado’s Marcus Villarreal.

Keene
Rio Vista
First Team Defense.jpg

Front, from left, are Grandview’s Caleb Hollingsworth, Cleburne’s Zach Haler, Joshua’s Jordan Garrett, Alvarado’s A.J. Castillo, Xavier Holbert, Kenny Adams and Marcus McNeil, Cleburne’s Conner Martyniuk and Godley’s Drew Benge. Standing, from left, are Alvarado’s Ronald Thomas, C.J. Johnson and Alex Gentrey, Grandview’s Austin Wylie and Caleb Armstrong. Not pictured is Alvarado’s Marcus Villarreal.

Venus
DSC_0283.tif

Fallen deputy Clifton Taylor’s sister, Megan Davis, takes a picture of a painting of her brother on Monday during a dedication to the deputy. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office renamed its building to the Clifton Taylor Law Enforcement Center in honor of the deputy who lost his life during a disturbance call in April. The picture was painted by Fort Worth artist Gary Crouch. Three pictures were made and one will hang in the Clifton Taylor Law Enforcement Center. The other two paintings were presented as gifts to Taylor’s parents and his fiancee.

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