Hezekiah was born on October 3, 1932, and died on June 16, 1946. He was the son of William Bailey and Robbie Hastings. He was the brother of Donnie Hastings; Mary Lois Hastings; and Betty Hastings. In 1940, his family lived in Ash Hill, Butler county, Missouri. On June 16, 1946, Hezekiah was swimming at the Black River with some friends. Hezekiah and his friends had lunch at the Hastings residence, and later decided to go swimming. He drowned in the Black River, a short distance from the Grobe gravel pit, three miles north of Poplar Bluff, a quarter mile downstream. The water they were diving in ranged from five to fifteen-feet deep. He cried out, but the others were not able to reach him in time. His friends rushed back to town, and summoned help from the authorities. While the search was going on, the Hastings family maintained an all night vigil at the river.  

Search teams had been looking for him since Sunday, resorting to use dynamite and grappling hooks in the river in case the body had not risen to the surface yet. Two divers, Charles Casey and Joe Bumpus found the body while diving. Other sources state that the body was found by Charles Casey and George Lohmeier, who were in a boat at the time. He was an eighth-grade student at the time of his death.

Hezekiah was laid to rest in Dunning Cemetery, town of Harviell…