John F. Hanan, 87, of Rapid City passed away Wednesday, September 25, 2024.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00am Friday October 4, 2024 at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, with the Very Rev. Timothy S. Hoag J.C.L. as celebrant. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial with full military honors will be 9:30am Monday October 7 at the Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis. Procession to the cemetery will be gathering 8:30am Monday at Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home. In Lieu of flowers a memorial in John's name can be sent to Blessed Sacrament Church 4500 Jackson Blvd, Rapid City, SD 57702.

John was born January 15, 1937 in San Diego, California, the youngest of three children born to Lawrence & Audrey (Fayne) Hanan.

Being the son of a career naval officer, John lived in many parts of the country, including California, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, and Hawaii. He graduated from Russellville High School in Russellville, Arkansas.

He served in the U.S. Air Force from October 10, 1956 to September 27, 1960. He was stationed in Misawa, Japan and Darmstadt, Germany as a radio (Morse) intercept operator. While in the Air Force, he attended the University of Maryland extension program. After his discharge, he returned to school. He was a graduate of the National School of Aeronautics in Kansas City, Missouri and has a Bachelor's degree from Marymount College in Salina, Kansas.

John spent the majority of his career in the Human Resources field, working in the hospital setting and in the manufacturing setting. He came to Merillat Industries in Rapid City, S.D. in 1986 as their Human Resources Manager because he "wanted to be part of a successful company that had a true sense of responsibility to its employees and treated them with dignity and respect". He retired from Merillat in 2004.

John married Jackie Ann Butler on December 31, 1963. To this union, two children were born, Jeanene and John II.

He married Mary Frances Hennes on September 25, 1981. John wrote that with Mary, he found something very special; his happiness, his joy, his only true love and his best friend. In their 43 years together, there were good times and bad times as in all marriages. The bad times only strengthened their love for each other and let them appreciate more the good times. They loved just being together, whether it was watching a Chiefs game, having dinner out, working in the yard or some other project, spending time with friends, going on a cruise or some other vacation, attending family reunions or just sitting somewhere talking.

John loved his children and grandchildren. He didn't get to see them as often as he would have liked, but they were always close in his heart.

John was such a people person. He loved interacting with people, joking with them and his quick wit always made you smile. He loved to laugh. You could tell him a joke and not recognize when he retold it because he had added his own spin to it! John also had a serious side; he was a good listener and problem solver. He was an expert at reading people.

He liked to fish. He played basketball into his 60's and he was good at it, whether he was taking on nieces and nephews, the neighbor kids or fellow employees at Merillat. He was also very competitive and wanted to win! He also liked to play golf and tennis, although he wasn't as good at those sports as he thought he was! He was an avid Kansas City Chiefs fan.

John's health declined in the later years, so he was unable to do many of the things he most enjoyed. However, his sense of humor and quick wit never left him.

John was a member of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus.

He is survived by his wife, Mary of Rapid City, children John F. Hanan II, Jeanene (Andrew) Joyce and grandchildren Jeffrey and Matthew of Arlington, Texas.

He is preceded in death by his parents, brother Lawrence Jr. and sister Patricia Metzger.