Bill Hanna
William “Bill” Thomas Hanna, beloved brother, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend passed away peacefully in his sleep on August 9th, 2024. He was 92 and a half years old.
Bill had a sweet smile, a kind heart, and a contagious laugh that filled up the whole room. Bill’s loving spirit made so many people feel seen, loved, and cherished. Spending time with Bill always felt like a gift, whether it was hours spent on the phone, a quick lunch visit, or a trip to do something spontaneous.
Throughout Bill’s life, he enjoyed basketball, whether playing it, watching it, or watching his grandchildren play. He also loved trains and spent hours tinkering on his model train set. Bill also enjoyed diving into his family’s genealogy and was able to trace his family back for many generations. Disneyland was one of his favorite places on Earth and his favorite ride was Thunder Mountain. He took his last trip with his entire family on his 85th birthday.
He loved spending time with his family and reminiscing about his life in Illinois, pointing out projects that he worked on all over Santa Barbara, and sharing fun stories and memories with his loved ones. He was also a secret card shark, who was known to shoot the moon during a game of Hearts.
Bill was born to Thomas and Roxy (Jamison) Hanna in Paris, Illinois on February 11, 1932. He had fond memories of growing up on his family’s farm with his sister Rosemary and told the story about how his grandmother had acquired the 20 acres of land from her mother and father for a special price: “love and affection and the sum of one dollar.”
He attended Paris High School where his basketball coach nick-named their basketball team “Hanna’s Bananas.” He also ran cross country which isn’t surprising with those long legs. When he was sixteen, he began working for a carpenter/contractor Ted Judy during the summers and shared he made $0.25 an hour. He graduated High School in 1950 then enrolled in Purdue University Extension’s two-year Construction Management Program. In 1952, Bill enlisted in the US Army where he served for two years. Once he was discharged, he enrolled in the University of Illinois via the GI Bill where he earned his degree in Civil Engineering.
Bill married Joan M. Calvin of Paris, Illinois, in August of 1957. After Bill graduated from the University of Illinois, he took a job with Douglas Aircraft in El Segundo, California. So Bill, Joan and their first daughter Carrie packed up, bid farewell to Paris and moved out to California in his blue 1955 Ford.
Bill started working as a structural engineer in Pasadena in March of 1961. That same year, they welcomed their daughter, Cheryl. In 1962, Bill started a new structural job in Sherman Oaks and was promoted to the tri-counties manager and resident engineer at Ralph W. Goers and Associates, Structural Engineers for six years. During that time Bill and Joan’s third daughter, Cindy, was born. At the request of his boss, Bill opened a branch office in Santa Barbara in January of 1964 and served as Chief Engineer. In June, Bill and Joan bought a new house in Santa Barbara. Bill joined the staff of Charles K. Schmandt, Architects of Santa Barbara in February 1970. Their youngest daughter Karen was born a year later.
Bill opened his own practice, W. T. Hanna and Associates in Santa Barbara in 1974. He closed his business in 1986 to begin working as a Principal Engineer in the Planning and Construction Office for UCSB, where he built strong relationships and consulted on many building projects until he left in 1998. In his later years, he worked for Howard and Van Sande Structural Consultants, Inc.
He received a certificate of appreciation from the State of California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists for his 50 years of service as an engineering professional. Bill always had an inquisitive mind studying the effects of earthquakes on buildings and how to make them stronger. Over the years, he worked on thousands of residential, commercial, and institutional projects and was proud of projects like the Butterfly Beach seawall and Child’s Estate trestle bridge for the SB Zoo train. He had a wealth of experience.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas and Roxy (Jamison) Hanna. He is survived by his sister, Rosemary Wegeng, of Savoy, Illinois, his ex-wife and friend, Joan Hanna and mother of their four daughters, Carrie Alvarado and husband Jeff, Cheryl Lemkuil and husband Dave, Cynthia “Cindy” Hanna, and Karen Arndt and husband Vinny all of Santa Barbara, California; seven grandchildren, Jennifer Moran and husband Tim, Jeffery Alvarado, and wife Shawn, Courtney Cole and husband Parker, Casey Stumpo, Jamie Alvarado and Adrian Alcala, and Mason and Noah Arndt; six great-grandchildren Melissa and Timmy Moran, Andrew and Nate Alcala, Julia and Johnny Alvarado.
Special thanks to Dr. Douglas Cummings for his exceptional health care for 20+ years and Dr. Dan Berger and Dr. Gregg Newman for their dedication and compassion. Much gratitude to Serenity House for his peaceful passing. Thanks also to Pacific Oaks Apartment Complex for making him feel at home for 37 years and his lunch retiree crew for all of the lunch dates he always looked forward to.
Our gentle giant, Bill, and his trusty suspenders will forever be remembered by all of us who knew him. To know Bill was to love him. Bill always took time to listen and learn about the people that he loved, and he had a way of making friends wherever he went. We will miss him and his big bear hugs. They were the best!