Former city council member Janet Hooks, who had as many friends as people she met and influenced in the course of a distinguished public career, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 70, according to a brief statement released by family members.
The statement notes: “Hooks is highly respected for her dedicated years of service to Memphis. She served on the Memphis City Council for 16 years. Following her term, she served in interim Mayor Myron Lowery’s and Mayor AC Wharton’s administration as the Director of Parks and Neighborhoods. Hooks was appointed by the Shelby County Commission as Special Advisor to the Shelby County Clerk in 2023.”
No specific cause of death is yet known, though a family member said Hooks was undergoing a bout with Covid. Arrangements, said the family statement, “will be shared in the coming days.” Serenity Funeral Home is in charge.
The statement lists as survivors: “her husband, former Shelby County Commission Chair and County Assessor, Michael Hooks, Sr.; a daughter, Kristin Hooks; two sons, Michael Hooks, Jr., and Marcus Hooks; a daughter-in-law, Judge Kenya Hooks; and two granddaughters, Morgan and Miranda Hooks; and special second daughter, Tami Sawyer.”
Typical of community response to her passing was this from Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen: “I met Janet Hooks when she was dating my fellow Tennessee Constitutional Convention delegate Michael Hooks in 1977, and I attended their Mud Island wedding. In her roles as a member of the City Council and as an advisor to Memphis Mayors Myron Lowery and A C Wharton, she served the city well. Beautiful and friendly, she was a devoted spouse and was dedicated to her family. Hers was a life well lived.”
