Jackson Hayes Calhoun, known as “Jack” went to be with Jesus on May 17th, 2020, after a long and wonderful life. Born on February 11th, 1931, he was the sixth child and fourth son of the late Willie Guile and Rebecca Schmidt Calhoun of Avondale, and a great grandson of the farmer featured on the WV State Seal, Henry Schmidt. While in high school he worked at Michels Pharmacy in West Union and Pennsboro, making ice cream. In 1948 Jack joined the United States Navy as a hospital corpsman, serving at Anacostia Naval Station near Washington, D.C. for four years and gaining medals as a veteran of the Korean and Cold Wars. On January 19th, 1952, he married Betty Lou Gain, the daughter of the late Burlin (“Junky”) and Bernice Gain, then of the Big Flint community, a marriage that was to endure for 60 years until Betty’s death from cancer on March 23, 2011. Jack joined his family’s business, Bridge Chevrolet, in West Union in 1952 employed as a mechanic, a parts man, salesman, and finally general manager. Sixteen years later he joined the staff at Harry Green Chevrolet in Clarksburg as a traveling salesman before rising to be manager of Used Trucks, Used Cars, and New Trucks, celebrating his retirement from there February 1993, after 25 years.
He was for over ten years a member of the Legion of Leaders, an organization comprised of the top ten percent of salesmen in the United States, and later as manager. He also belonged to the Society of Sales Executives.
In 1993 Jack, Betty, and daughter Jackie opened J & J Flower Shoppes in West Union, with Jack and Jackie as co-managers and Betty as bookkeeper, now Melanie Cox Blair. Their business still serves Doddridge County and West Virginia. In 2014 he married Doris Durden.
Jack was a member of the American Legion for over 60 years and was honored as Veterans Day Parade Marshal in 2013 and granted a diploma from Doddridge County High School in honor of his service to our country. He was a founding member of the Doddridge County Emergency Squad, serving as vice president of the board and being recognized as Volunteer of the year. He also served on the Board of Directors for over 30 years. Further, he was a member of the West Union Fire Department and also a life member of the Doddridge County Historical Society. Jack served as a lay speaker for the Methodist Church before becoming of the West Union Baptist Church and serving as a Sunday School teacher and greeter. He currently attended the Rock Run Wesleyan Methodist Church.
Jack was preceded in death by his parents Willie and Rebecca Calhoun, by four brothers all US Navy Veterans, William Schmidt Calhoun, Robert Thomas Calhoun, Philip Blair Calhoun, and Rev. Samuel Edward Calhoun, a sister Anita Belle Calhoun Brown and his wife Betty Lou Gain Calhoun.
He is survived by his wife Doris Calhoun; a sister Bettie Lee Calhoun Fox of Georgia; two children, Jacqueline Dawn Cox (Alan), and Michael Calhoun of Springfield, VA; two grandchildren, Angela Dawn Hayhurst (Anthony “Tony”) and Melanie Ann Blair (Ben); three great-grandchildren, Brandon and Daron Nicholson, and Nathaniel Blair; two step-children, 3 step-grandchildren and several nieces, nephews, and grandnieces and nephews.
Jack loved to chat with family and friends, visiting the nursing homes, and will be remembered as a loving and supportive husband, father, grandparent, and a good friend of many residents of Doddridge and surrounding counties. He will be much missed by family, friends, neighbors, and friends in the Emergency Squad, Fire Department, J & J Flowers, American Legion, Harry Green Chevrolet, and Doddridge County Historical Society.
Graveside services will be conducted in the Calhoun-Cox Cemetery, Rock Run Rd. on Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 11:00a.m. with Pastor Tom Zimmerman presiding. The family will receive friends in the Spurgeon Funeral Home 56 Front St. West Union on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 from 2-8 p.m. Due to the Centers for Disease Control Covid19 guidelines there will only be a 25 person occupancy at a time. Expressions of sympathy may be extended to the family at www.spurgeonfunerals.com. Spurgeon Funeral Home is privileged to serve the Calhoun Family.
