Jackie Hubbard – A Lifelong Love for the Land

As a child and throughout his life, Jackie Hubbard found happiness in the fields and forests between Yellow Jacket Creek and the Chattahoochee River – a special property along Mooty Bridge Road that ultimately became Whispering Hills Natural Cemetery and Memorial Nature Preserve.

Jackie cared for the land at Whispering Hills like a man on a mission, spending his later years calling on a lifetime of experience as he cut the fields and maintained the forest, trails, and meadow with a constant eye on perfection.

On a hillside near the Whispering Hills office, overlooking the pastures and forest, family and friends gathered in mid-December to place a tribute stone and share stories in honor of Jackie, who passed away in September a few months short of his 81st birthday.

“Jackie loved this land and it shows,” shared Ralph Howard, a founder of Whispering Hills and a lifelong friend of Jackie Hubbard. “Whispering Hills has never looked better, thanks to Jackie’s passion for land management that now lives on in our team,” noted Howard, whose parents purchased the 140-acre property in 1946. Ralph was an adventurous four year old at the time who instantly connected with his three-year-old neighbor, Jackie, and they grew up exploring every inch of the magical acreage.

“A kid’s imagination could run wild in the forest and streams,” recalled Howard, who built tree forts, rode horses, learned the land, and gained a true appreciation for the country life together with his best friend, back when Mooty Bridge was just a two-lane dirt road. “In the late 1940s and early 1950s, we often saw mule drawn wagons from across the river roll by early on Saturday mornings carrying goods to sell in LaGrange,” he remembered.

As the years passed, many became concerned with the growth and rapid urbanization throughout the area. Ralph and his sister Jean founded Whispering Hills to preserve the land and rural nature for future generations.

“When we began discussing and developing plans in 2018 for a natural cemetery memorial nature preserve, no one was more thrilled than Jackie,” Ralph said with a smile. “From the beginning, he was so happy to see so many families choose Whispering Hills and cherish this place as much as he did.”

“Jackie was born on this land in 1943, in a house that once stood where the Resting Plow sculpture now marks the entrance to Whispering Hills,” noted Shirley Hubbard, Jackie’s wife and life partner whose home is adjacent to Whispering Hills, where she is tour director. “What I’ll remember most about Jackie was his love of life and the outdoors. He was the best shot you’ve ever seen, he knew tractors inside and out since he was a kid, and everybody wanted to be in the fishing boat with Jackie. He never came home from the lake empty handed,” Shirley laughed.

In April 2023, Jackie shared a few thoughts about his love for the land after Whispering Hills’ second anniversary celebration on Earth Day. “My family first farmed this land back in the 1800s and I was born on this property,” Jackie said with a smile. “It’s truly home to me, and when I’m working the fields and maintaining the forest floor and trails it brings back great memories and stories of many years ago.”

Friends and family fondly recall Jackie’s exceptional knack for storytelling. “Jackie told interesting stories, some real doozies that would have you laughing so hard, you were crying,” Shirley shared, noting Jackie never embellished stories about his fishing or hunting adventures. “Jackie won many fishing tournaments, and he was awarded a brand new 1993 Ford pickup truck for his deer hunting and marksman skills. There was no need for him to exaggerate any of that,” she chuckled. “He was the real deal.”

Perhaps the best Jackie stories aren’t the ones he told, but instead they’re the stories his friends and loved ones share about the life-changing impact he had on the people and the land he loved. Everyone agrees Jackie Hubbard was a “tough-as-nails” man who had plenty to offer to the people and places he cared about the most.

His granddaughter, Montana Bruce credits her “Paw Paw” Jackie with “teaching me how to be wise, forgiving, family-focused, and brave.” Looking over the land that meant so much to Jackie, Montana shared, “I’m the strong, independent woman I am now because of him. And Whispering Hills will always be beautiful, because of the skills and techniques he shared with the team to ensure this is a special place for generations and generations to come.”

Jackie tended to his family much like he did the land at Whispering Hills. “Jackie was up and out the door before daylight most mornings to inspect the trails, cut the pastures, and tend to the cemetery,” Shirley said. “Jackie was on a mission to protect his family and this property, through an intense work ethic and an uncanny intelligence about human nature and this land. We’re all better off thanks to Jackie, and he will be missed in so many ways,” Ralph added.

“Jackie was great at everything he set out to do, whether that was driving a truck in his younger years, hunting, fishing, and mastering the equipment and the fields. He had a positive impact on countless lives,” Jackie’s son Sam Hubbard explained. “This land meant the world to my dad, and I’m thrilled Whispering Hills has planted an oak tree in his honor. It will grow big and tall and have a lasting presence over this place, much like Jackie did.”