Vale Dana G. Hackett

Mr. Hackett was one of four children born to Commander Donald J. and Laura O. (Benoit) Hackett. His father’s family traced its roots to John Alden of the Mayflower.

Because of his father’s Naval career, the family moved several times over the years. Mr. Hackett was born in Fall River and spent several years in Walnut Creek, California, before his family settled in Port Chester, New York. He attended Port Chester High School and then worked for more than 30 years in the construction trades.

For the past 14 years, he was the senior distribution assistant at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and was eventually promoted to supervisor. In 2016, Mr. Hackett accepted, on behalf of his three-person team, the Penzance Award, bestowed annually to a group chosen for “sustained exceptional performance, for outstanding representation of the WHOI spirit, and for major contributions to the personal and professional lives of our staff.”

In 1983, he was one of the founding members of the Cape Cod Polo Club based at Boxberry Hill Farm in Hatchville. While still a fledgling club, it quickly developed a solid reputation when competing against more established clubs along the East Coast. He also helped with the reestablishment of the Newport Polo Club in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, which had been closed for several decades. He owned and trained a string of polo ponies, his favorite being O’Henry, with whom he competed in a race at the Barnstable County Fair.

An avid reader with eclectic tastes, a talented horseman who loved sailing, skydiving and golf. He is remembered for his sense of humor, good nature and strong work ethic. He leaves wife, Diane (Hinrichs) Mirlicourtois.

In addition to his wife, he leaves three siblings and their spouses, Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Bruce W. Hackett of Prince George, Virginia, Fay S. Nephew of Hyannis, and Pamela A. Kokmeyer of East Falmouth; a stepdaughter, Julie Scott of Houston, Texas; many nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews; his former wife, Malora Greshamhackett of Hatchville; several cousins; and extended family.