John Hanna

JOHN BARCLAY HANNA
1928 - 2018

John Barclay Hanna, our uncle and friend, passed away September 8, 2018 in Salt Lake City.  Born December 17, 1928 to Joseph Loren Hanna and Florence Barclay, in Rockford, Illinois, John grew up in Hunter, Utah, in what is now West Valley City.  While a young man in junior high and high school, John discovered his lifelong love for sports.  A gifted athlete, he was on the varsity football and basketball teams and started a tennis team in high school.  John also played the trumpet in a dance band.  He would often be a starting player in a football game, only to grab his trumpet and play for the school dance afterwards.

After graduating from Cyprus High School, John attended the University of Utah, graduating with a B.A. in Economics.  He often told how he worked at over 25 different jobs to finance his education.  He was pursuing an advanced degree at the University of Utah when he was drafted into the Army during the Korean War and subsequently spent two years studying electronics and artillery.

After his military discharge, John took a position in the personnel division at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Hines, Illinois and moved to Chicago.  While in Illinois, he met Joan Marie Ettner, and they married April 25, 1959.  Both Joan and John spent their working careers at the Veterans Administration.  However, their summer vacations were spent with John’s family in Salt Lake City.  During these trips, which usually included fishing in the Uinta Mountains and sometimes Hawaiian cruises, John and Joan became special friends to their niece Carolyn and their nephew Allan.  During summer breaks from high school, Carolyn and Allan often visited John and Joan at their home in Illinois where they were treated to seeing all the sights of downtown Chicago.

In 1984, John and Joan retired to Salt Lake City.  John was always a classical music fan, and they became devotees of the arts, particularly enjoying performances by the Utah Symphony, Utah Opera, and Ballet West.  They also traveled extensively in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Scandinavia.  John loved animals and among his favorite vacations were cruises to Alaska where he delighted in viewing a variety of wildlife.  At home, their five cats, Katie, Peaches, Potiphar, Daisy, and Abner, brightened their lives.

Throughout his life, nothing brought John more pleasure than to be physically active in the outdoors.  In addition to hiking, fishing, and biking, he became a great golfer, played in local singles and doubles tennis tournaments where he won many trophies, and taught himself and Carolyn to ski.  Even in his later years, he enjoyed taking long walks as long as he was able.

John is survived by brother-in-law Earl B. Jones, niece Carolyn Jones, nephew Allan B. (Natalie) Jones, and Allan’s sons, great-nephews Brandon B. Jones and Spencer B. Jones.  He was predeceased by his wife Joan, sister Marilyn H. Jones, nephew E. Blair Jones, and his parents.  A memorial will be held Saturday, September 15, 2018, 11:00 a.m., at the Cannon Mortuary, 2460 E. Bengal Blvd. (7600 So.).  Interment at the Salt Lake City Cemetery.