John Hanson Jr. 1941 - 2022

John Hanson Jr. passed away at home peacefully into the presence of the Lord on January 17, 2022, with his wife and son by his side.
The fourth of seven children, John was born October 24, 1941, in Casa Grande, Arizona, to John Sr. and Omalee Golden Hanson.  When he was a young boy, his family moved to California before settling in Oregon, where he attended Newberg High School.

At age 18, John joined the U.S. Navy; he served aboard the aircraft carrier USS Thetis Bay. As a boatswain's mate, he was responsible for supervising the maintenance of his ship inside and out. One day, while standing watch out in the South China Sea, he saw a sailor jump overboard. With quick thinking, he got into a life raft and had the man back on board within four minutes, saving his life. John was honorably discharged from the Navy in 1961.

In June of 1962 he met his future wife, Patricia Sexton, in the rhubarb patch in Dayton, Oregon. After dating for about 10 months John proposed to "Patsy" while sitting on the hay bales in an old barn. They were married April 6, 1963, and enjoyed 57 1/2  years of life together.

John was also a very skilled mechanic. He got his start working for Triangle Motors in 1964 detailing cars. After two years he was promoted to the parts manager, a role he served in for 15 years. In 1983, he opened his own business, John's Auto Repair and Paint Shop, which he ran for 10 years. He taught his son Johnny everything he knew about cars to the point where he could rebuild an entire motor at age 17.

In 1993, he sold his shop and moved to Anchorage, Alaska, with his wife, their son and their black teacup poodle, Suzie, who John got hooked on Pepsi. They loaded up their big white Chevy truck and drove 2,471 miles up the ALCAN highway. And once they got to Alaska, John traded in his wrench for a fishing pole. One of his favorite spots to fish was the Kenai River.

After developing a tumor on his vocal cords, he and his wife moved back to McMinnville for health reasons. John had a tracheostomy in 1995 and had to relearn to talk. After this experience, he felt led to speak to young people about the dangers of smoking. He would go to high schools and share his story, which was well-received.

John was also an avid gardener. He and his wife bought their home in 2002, where he planted a beautiful garden, which was awarded Garden of the Month by the city of McMinnville in 2003. He loved teaching his great-grandchildren how to plant flowers and garden. He worked for Lawrence Art Gallery for the past eight years, and they called him their "Master Gardner." He would share his flowers with his bank, neighbors and church.

He attended the Assembly of God Church in Carlton, where he loved to bring his great-grandchildren. After church, he would take them out to eat lunch at Izzy's a tradition he kept for over 30 years. His favorite scripture was Isaiah 40:31, which he would quote often.

John was always wearing his trademark Silverado cowboy hat, cowboy boots and a big metal belt buckle with "JOHN" engraved on it. His wife, Patricia called him her "cowboy."

John leaves behind his wife and best friend, Patricia; daughter, Deanna Monen (Mike) of Bend; son, Johnny Hanson of McMinnville; sister, Shirley Keller (Larry) of McMinnville; 12 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; daughter, Sandra Minton; sisters, Edna Turner, Louise Rentz, Fay Wilson, and Wanda Garred; and brother, Jessie Dean Hanson.

He worked hard all his life for his family. Any time someone needed something, he was there. He had the love of God in his heart. He will truly be missed, especially by his family and his best friend Obi (dog).

Graveside service is at 11 a.m. April 6, 2022, at Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery in McMinnville, Oregon, with a reception following at Golden Valley Restaurant in McMinnville.

Condolences and flowers in care of Macy & Son.