Richard Hanna, age 89, of Valentine, Nebraska passed away March 26, 2016 at Cherry Hills Estates. Dick was born January 22, 1927 in Wood Lake, Nebraska, the youngest son of Neil and Nannie (Micheel) Hanna.
Dick graduated from the Nebraska School of Agriculture at Curtis, Nebraska and joined the U.S. Navy for the duration of WWII. Dick married Gayle Johnson July 25, 1946 in Valentine, Nebraska and they spent their life on the ranch 45 miles South of Valentine until Dick semi-retired. Dick and Gayle were members of the Presbyterian Church in Valentine, and Dick was active in the Wood Lake Masonic Lodge and also belonged to Shriners, the Sandhills Cattle Association and the Nebraska Cattlemen.
Dick ran the ranch from his early 20's to when he handed over the reins to his son, then moved to Valentine in 2005. Dick's great loves were his family and the ranch. He felt strongly he was a steward of the land and you should leave it better than you found it. Dick did not want to be a fixer, but to remedy problems before they arose. One of his goals was to make at least one major improvement in the ranch each year for which he received numerous conservation awards.
Dick enjoyed the multiple aspects of ranching; being a top cow man, taking care of the range, and making his own equipment, which was one of his favorite jobs. He felt he could make it better and stronger than what he could buy. Welding was a part of ranch work that he thoroughly enjoyed, from building gates to making ornamental items. Dick said he couldn't come up with artistic ideas, but if you told him what you wanted or gave him a picture, he could build it. Dick and his Uncle Fritz Micheel spent two years building his family's home on the Goose Creek ranch, doing most of the work themselves.
In their 40's, Dick and Gayle took up golf, and while traveling they enjoyed playing at many golf courses and meeting and visiting with people from different parts of the country. Golfing was Dick's time to socialize and leave the ranch behind for a short while.
Dick is survived by three of his four children, Peggy Skinner and her husband Bob of Buffalo, Wyoming; Jeff Hanna and his wife Hollie of Valentine, and Jan Hanna of Tucson, Arizona. Three granddaughters, Kerry Skinner Mastera, Brook Olson Hanna, and Kristy Skinner Matisohn; and four great grandsons, twins Maxwell and Weston Mastera and twins Blake and Grant Olson Hanna. Dick was proceeded in death by his wife Gayle; his son Chad; his parents, Neil and Nannie Hanna; his sisters, Ruth Joint and Louise Sharp; and his brother Don Hanna.
Memorial service for Dick Hanna will be held on Thursday, April 14 at 2:00PM at the Presbyterian Church in Valentine. Sandoz Chapel of the Pines is in charge of service arrangements.