Joseph Peck Hart, Jr. “Bubba,”

Joseph Peck Hart, Jr. “Bubba,” 69, of Oaxaca, Mexico, died July 26 in the hospital in Brownsville following a lengthy illness. Bubba was born in La Grange on April 10, 1948, the son of Lonita Curtis Makinson and J.P. Hart. His stepfather, Dr. Jimmy Makinson raised him like a son until his death in 1978. He is survived by his sister, Lisa Hart Corker and her husband Michael of La Grange and a brother, Dr. Pug Hart and his wife Susan of Lexington, Ky., niece and nephew, Lanie and Shawn Hart and special niece and nephew, Jaime and Todd Clark. While growing up in La Grange, Bubba excelled in every sport he played. He was an outstanding athlete who loved baseball, football, basketball and track and lettered in all of those sports in high school. He received a football scholarship to Texas A & I in Kingsville then later transferred to The University of Texas. Bubba had an exceedingly colorful life and lived in many interesting places. New Orleans was home base for a number of years and thereafter he owned a bar and restaurant in Aspen, Colorado. He spent most of his later life in Oaxaca and Puerto Angel, Mexico. To say his life was unconventional would be a gross understatement. There are a wealth of stories and a cast of characters that make up his somewhat turbulent and sometimes tragic existence and many of you know them. We are all the sum of our choices and live with the consequences of our actions and this was especially true of Bubba. A favorite quote of his comes to mind; “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog”. His fight is over; forgiveness and compassion are all that remain. A private memorial service will be held at a later date.