| Sources |
- [S113] Manes Funeral Home, (http://www.manesfuneralhome.com), 28 May 2012.
Joyce Lorene Williamson obituary
- [S25] Smith Mortuary Company, www.smithmortuary.com, 2 Jun 2013.
Austin Tyler Hitch age 19, passed away June 2, 2013. He was a 2011 graduate of Heritage High School. Survivors include: Parents, Jeff & Tracy Hitch of Mt. Eden, KY and Mitzy & Andy Collins of Knoxville; Sisters, Kimberly Burleson, Jessica & Alyssa Hitch; Grandparents, Brenda & Marshall Brookshire of Alcoa, Linda & Ron Watts of NC, Mack & Diane Hitch of Rockford; Uncle, Mike Hitch of Alcoa; Aunt, Angie Hitch of Odessa, TX. Austin will be missed by many close friends and classmates from Heritage High School. Funeral service will be at 7:00 PM, Wednesday, June 5, 2013 at Smith Trinity Chapel with Rev. Chris Cupp officiating. Family and friends will assemble at 11:00 AM, Thursday, June 6, 2013 at Clark's Grove Cemetery. Family will receive friends from 5:00 until 7:00 PM, Wednesday, June 5, 2013 at Smith Trinity Chapel. Smith Funeral & Cremation Service, Maryville, 865-983-1000, www.SmithMaryville.com.
- [S27] The Daily Times, http://www.thedailytimes.com/, (Blount County, Tennessee), 4 Jun 2013.
Father of Austin Hitch mourns ‘extremely bright’ son killed in train accident
By J.J. Kindred | (jj.kindred@thedailytimes.com)
Despite his troubled past, Austin Tyler Hitch was someone who was truly loved by his family and friends, said his father, Jeffrey Hitch.
“Austin was extremely bright. If you checked his IQ, it was probably about 200 or more,” Jeffrey Hitch told The Daily Times Tuesday. “It was a waste, and I’m not talking about his death. I’m talking about what he could have accomplished. I couldn’t get him there for some reason.”
Austin Hitch, 19, Old Mount Tabor Road, Maryville, was killed Sunday morning in a pedestrian train accident near Mount Tabor Road in Maryville.
Funeral services will be held 7 p.m. today at Smith Funeral Home in Maryville, with burial at 11 a.m. Thursday at Clark’s Grove Cemetery.
Authorities were dispatched to the scene of the accident at about 4:45 a.m. Sunday. A train operated by CSX Corp. struck Hitch, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Blount County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division is working with CSX authorities in their investigation.
“The detective told me they identified Austin by his thumbprint,” Jeffrey Hitch said. “He used to go walking around on those tracks with some of his buddies, and no one really knows what happened yet. He was by himself.
“The lady asked me first thing if I thought he committed suicide and I said no,” Jeffrey Hitch continued. “I’ve heard Austin get mad, get in fights, but not one time did I ever hear him say anything about suicide. I don’t think he would have ever done that, and if he did, I don’t think he would have done it that way. I don’t know if he could have fallen asleep, I have no idea.”
Austin Hitch, a 2011 graduate of Heritage High School, had a history of criminal activity in Blount County. He was arrested on Jan. 16 in an incident at an Alcoa home as he was arguing with his father, and was charged with possession of a Schedule IV substance.
He was arrested by Blount County Sheriff’s Office deputies Nov. 11, 2012, on a charge of violation of probation granted after a felony conviction.
He was also charged with burglary of a vehicle on July 29, 2012, violation of the implied consent law on June 27, 2012, and was arrested by Maryville police officers May 30, 2012, along with an accomplice, for alleged shoplifting at Walmart in Maryville.
“We took him to anything the court asked,” Jeffrey Hitch said. “I’ve always helped Austin — he just hung around the wrong crowd. He got locked up last September, and me, my wife and little girl moved to Kentucky a few years before.
“But I came back here and went to Monroe County and picked him up, and he was Austin again. He was great, and we did some work on a house. He could do a lot things with his hands — he did some wiring and helped me do tile, even though he never touched the stuff. It looked as good as any professional.”
Jeffrey Hitch said his fondest memories of his son included going to Myrtle Beach two to three times a year when he was little, and how he showed maturity after picking him up in Monroe County.
“How great he acted for weeks and weeks after I picked him up really meant a lot,” Jeffrey Hitch said. “He was talking to me like I should have been talking to him.”
A page, “In Loving Memory of Austin Hitch,” has been created on Facebook.
|
Search | Advanced Search
1993 - 2013 (19 years)
: Address
: Location
: City/Town
: County/Shire
: State/Province
: Country
: Not Set
= Link to Google Maps