George Kristofer “Jed” Mihalyka, 78 of Vicksburg, passed away peacefully at home on Sept. 25.

After a hard-fought battle with cancer, he is joyfully reunited with his beloved son, Kristofer George Mihalyka. Jed grew up on the eastern shore of Va., the son of Dr. and Mrs. Eugene Mihalyka.

He received his undergraduate degree from Franklin and Marshall College in Penn.

It was the school of his father’s choosing, thinking the location would encourage Jed’s scholarly ambition instead of his propensity to party. After graduation, he entered the University of Mississippi School of Law. Jed moved to Vicksburg in 1971, where he began his law practice.

He was a man of many interests and loved the outdoors. His favorite hunting partners were his son, Kristofer, and friends, Ken and Matthew Hicks.

He was also an avid saltwater fisherman, which led to his many business ventures in Empire, LA, including an oyster harvesting business and a bait shop. Jed married his wife, Beverly, in 2011. Jed woke up one day and decided cattle ranching sounded fun, and purchased 12 Longhorn cows.

Unfortunately, Jed learned the hard way that Longhorns do not enjoy being fenced in, and the cows spent a lot of time on Funches Road.

Not long after, the Longhorns were traded in for beef cattle. Beverly spent many a day bottle-feeding motherless calves. Jed was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. and Mrs. Eugene Mihalyka; his sister, Jane Mihalyka Gibson; and his son, Kristofer George Mihalyka. He is survived by his wife, Beverly M. Mihalyka; stepson, Cory M. Rowe (Heather) of Madison; stepdaughter, Leslie R. Sadler (Rob) of Vicksburg; and grandchildren, Carter Rowe, Cate Rowe, Reeves Sadler, and Everett Sadler.

Services will be on Thursday, Sept. 28, at First Presbyterian Church, in Vicksburg. Visitation will be from 1 to 2 p.m., with a memorial service at 2:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Storehouse Community Food Pantry or the Kristopher G. Mihalyka Scholarship at the University of Mississippi.