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After serving 33 years as pastor of Marble Plains Baptist Church, Jack Hice retired after conducting his final service on Aug. 20, along with celebrating his 91^st birthday. 

A week prior to his final service, Hice, surrounded by friends and church members, was presented two proclamations from Tullahoma Mayor Ray Knowis. The first proclamation was in recognition for Hice’s 33 years of service to the Tullahoma community and Marble Plains Baptist Church as the congregation’s pastor.

The other proclamation presented to Hice was recognizing Aug. 19 as Brother Jack Day in celebration of his 91^st birthday.

Hice was born on South Anderson Street in Tullahoma at his grandfather’s house in 1932 and went to grammar school at the South Jackson Street Grammar School.

 Once he got to Tullahoma High School, he played on the Wildcats football team from 1946 through 1949 and then graduated in 1950.

After high school, Hice began a career at the Arnold Engineering Development Complex for more than 37 years while serving as a vocational pastor for more than 60 years.

“I have been at Marble Plains Baptist Church, located inside Tims Ford State Park, since 1990,” Hice said. “There were nine people there at the first service I had in 1990. We now have 265 members.”

Hice said during his time in the ministry, he has preached at 529 funerals, baptized 200 people and officiated about 100 weddings.

“The Lord had always been good to me,” Hice said. “The Lord has truly blessed me with a great family, a great church family and a great heavenly family.”

He also mentioned his wife who played the organ at the church before passing away in 2015.

When looking back on his time with the ministry, Hice recalled a baptism he performed where he christened 24 people at Tims Ford Lake and a funeral service involving the Hell’s Angels biker gang at Rose Hill Memorial Gardens.

Hice said the service with the motorcycle gang was for a 28-year-old woman who he had known since she was 2 years old.

“She was a member of the Hell’s Angels out of Memphis, Tennessee, and when I did her graveside service at Rose Hill, 40-some odd Hell’s Angels’ motorcycle boys and girls came in, and they surrounded us and I didn’t know what in the world to do,” he said.

Hice said the Hell’s Angels then lined up and hugged him in a moment that he will always remember.

As for his plans following retirement, Hice said he will be helping the interim pastor, Brother Roger Parks, where he will serve as Parks’ backup whenever he needs it.