Jess Hackney

Jess B. “Jessie” Hackney (born March 1, 1975) was known in his community for a practical kindness, a love of the outdoors and a loyalty to family. A longtime Kankakee resident, Jess worked in shipping for Greif’s, where colleagues say he brought the same steady, dependable approach to work that friends and family appreciated at home.

He married Angela Sayler on July 26, 2013, and family was central to Jess’s life. He enjoyed fishing and hunting, favored time on his Harley, and took pleasure in simple outdoor pursuits. Those who knew him recall how much joy he found in spending time with his three dogs and in quiet moments away from the bustle of daily life.

Jess is survived by his wife, Angela Hackney; his daughter, Carlie Hackney of Flanagan; his sister Autumn (Walt Jr.) Miles of Mitchell, Indiana; his brother Michael Woodworth (Alisa LaCheta) of Grant Park; his father, Michael Woodworth; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother.

Public notices and local reporting record that Jess died in mid-November 2021 in Bradley, Illinois. Published funeral information indicated visitation and a funeral service in late November 2021 at Clancy-Gernon-Hertz Funeral Home in Kankakee with cremation rites to follow. Available public sources focus on his roles as a husband, father and outdoorsman; they provide a picture of a man who treasured family, the outdoors, and the quiet steadiness of everyday life. Though details about his final hours are part of the public record, those facts do not define him. He is remembered here for the simple pleasures he loved and the people who meant the most to him.