Our hearts are heavy to say that Don “Magic” Hooker passed away of natural causes on Friday, May 5, 2023.

Don ‘Magic’ Hooker

Don was born in Indianapolis in 1958 and raised in Ligonier, where he graduated from West Noble High School in 1976 and attended Indiana University. He spent 10 years in Aspen, Colo., as a ski instructor and was on stage doing stand-up comedy and magic for John Denver’s Tower Magic Bar, and he wouldn’t let us forget that!

A funny, classic and magical man, that was our father. He was “one of a kind,” as his sister, Gwyn, would often say. He loved Colorado, the Florida Keys and the mountains of East Tennessee, where he eventually settled and raised a family. A pilot, comedian entertainer, mixed well with being a top sales director when he wanted to work a “real” job.

Don was preceded in death by his mother, Minnetta Hooker.

And survived by his endless jokes; his father, Dr. Donald J. (Eleanor) Hooker; sister, Gwyn (Steve) Malone; children, Haley Coral Hooker and Jackson Ryan Hooker; lots of sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law; and many nieces and nephews who will never let us forget how he lit up a room. He loved his church family at St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church in Sevierville.

Family and friends are invited to a gathering to honor Don by sharing their good memories of him from 2-5 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at 1763 Harrisburg Mill Road, Sevierville, TN 37876.