Dr. Robert Hatchette

Dr. Robert K. “Bob” Hatchette, age 75, of 409 Richmond Court, Spartanburg, died on November 17, 2022, at Spartanburg Regional Hospice Home. He is the son of the late Wade Thomas Hatchette and Gladys Myrtle Thornton.

He was a 1965 graduate of Cowpens High School and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology in 1969 from the University of South Carolina. Upon graduating from the University, he married the love of his life, Abigail Bradley, and immediately entered the U. S. Army, serving in the Republic of Vietnam with the 219th Military Intelligence Detachment as an interrogator of prisoners of war. He entered graduate school at the University of South Carolina upon completion of his military service and earned a Master of Arts Degree in 1974 and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in School Psychology in 1979. He was employed as a school psychologist in Richland School District 2 from 1974 to 1980 when he was named Director of Special Services. He moved to School District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties in 1982, serving as director until 1995, when he moved to Spartanburg School District 6. He retired from Spartanburg 6 as Assistant Superintendent of Student Services in 2009 and began an educational consulting business, assisting school districts with provision of services to students with disabilities.

He received many awards and special recognition during his career including the following: Outstanding School Psychologist, Special Education Administrator of the Year, School Health Services Award, Friend of South Carolina Speech and Hearing Association, and Outstanding Contribution to Public Education. He also served on the Board of the Charles Lea Center and the Institutional Review Board for Mary Black Hospital as well as President of the South Carolina Association of School Psychologists.

He is survived by his wife, Abigail “Abby” Bradley Hatchette; a son, Jason Thomas Hatchette (Jennifer Shealy) and their children, Ashley Morgan, Lauren Elizabeth, James Bradley, and Brooke Anne Hatchette, all of Nashville, TN; a daughter, Jennifer Leigh Campbell (Matthew Campbell) and their children, Ryan Joseph and Bailey Abigail Campbell, all of Inman, SC; brothers, Thomas Lee Hatchette and John Carlyle Hatchette; as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his son, Jeffery Glenn Hatchette and sister, Margaret Hatchette Lawson.

A memorial service will be held at 4:00 PM on Monday, November 21, 2022, at Nazareth Presbyterian Church, 680 Nazareth Church Road, Moore, SC 29369, conducted by the Rev. Julie Schaaf. A reception will follow in the Family Life Center.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Dr. Robert K. Hatchette Special Education Leadership Fund, c/o Spartanburg County Foundation, 424 East Kennedy Street, Spartanburg, SC 29302 or by visiting https://spcf.org/give/online/ and choosing “Dr. Robert K. Hatchette Special Education Leadership Fund” in the Choose Your Fund section or to Nazareth Presbyterian Church, 680 Nazareth Church Road, Moore, SC 29369.

Floyd’s North Church Street Chapel