James "JD" David Hebner

James "JD" David Hebner, 72, a resident of Fort Myers and of Lee County since 1984, formerly of Ohio, passed away suddenly Thursday, April 6, 2023. He was born October 1, 1950 in Dayton, OH to Benjamin Reuben and Jeanette Roney Hebner, both deceased.  

JD graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1967. At age 17, he enlisted in the US Marine Corps through which he served in the presidential honor guard for HSM1 as security for President Nixon. In 1970 he started attending Ohio University where he majored in psychology. Between 1972-1973 he competed in and won a National Kickboxing Championship. He spent time in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he attended Rhema Bible College and Bethesda Boys Ranch in Oklahoma. He became a missionary in Jamaica where he lived and learned how to run a chicken farm. In 1982 back in FL he learned and got certified to scuba dive and started going on various missionary projects. He continued to spend time between his Megs County farm in Ohio and Fort Myers. In 1987 he bought his first boat, Uncertain Riches. He then lived and traveled throughout the Caribbean doing various missionary projects alongside his wife and family for the next several years. He went on to get his graduate degree and continued to teach at various schools in Lee County for the next 26 years, specializing in special education. Fourteen years of those were spent at Ft. Myers High School. He met his wife, Susan McElligot in 1996 and they have been traveling and enjoying their life together for the last 27 years.  They retired together in 2018 and have spent the last four years enjoying their blissful retirement.

He is survived by his loving wife of the last 16 years, Susan McElligott of Fort Myers. Children: Keith Hebner (Natalie) of Bend, OR; Joel Hebner (Jenn) of Santa Monica, CA; Katie Reed (Justin) of Englewood, FL; Kristin Kostick of Greenfield, MO; and Maxwell McElligott of Milwaukee, WI. Two sisters: Danna Warman (Tracy) of Hawaii; and Jennifer Bennett of Los Angeles, CA; one brother: Ben Hebner (Julia) of Richmond, VA; mother-in-law, Rosemary Burdon of Butler, WI; five nephews: Ben, Daniel, Richard, David and Don; two nieces, Anna and Debra; and his eight grandchildren: Bradley, Angelica, Sterling, Garrison, Kastyl, Emily, Katelyn, Bubba. 

Funeral Services will be held at 1:00 PM, Saturday, April 15, 2023 at Thomas A. Edison Congressional Church, 1619 Llewellyn Dr, Fort Myers, FL 33901 with Reverend Jim Harper officiating. The Family will receive friends for a time of visitation from 11:00 AM until the time of service.  

Mullins Memorial Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Cape Coral, is entrusted with final care.