John Bright Hanks

1947 - 2024

John Bright Hanks

January 18, 1947 - October 9, 2024

John Bright Hanks, 77, of North Garden, Virginia, passed away on October 9, 2024 after a battle with metastatic prostate cancer. He died peacefully in his favorite place, the home he built 37 years ago with his family in the country. He was surrounded by his wife, two daughters and their husbands when he passed.

Born January 18, 1947 in Washington, D.C., John was the son of James Judge Hanks and Dorothy Teeple Hanks. He was preceded in death by his mother and father as well as his brother, Thomas Colgrove Hanks.

John is survived by his wife, Bonnie Boulton Hanks, his daughters Laura (with her husband Rocco Delmedico) and Mary (with her husband Patrick Burmeister), his grandchildren Alice and Jack Delmedico, his brother Jim (with his wife Sabine), and his nieces Molly Doyle, Julia Hanks, and Maria Dorothy Hanks.

John was a renowned surgeon and widely respected and loved leader in the medical field. He completed his undergraduate studies at Princeton University and attended medical school at the University of Rochester. He went on to complete his surgical residency training at Duke University, where he met his friend and fellow resident, Dr. Worthington Schenk, with whom he enjoyed working beside for the next 40 years, and his wife, Bonnie Hanks, the Head OR Nurse at Duke at the time.

John was recruited to UVA in Charlottesville, Virginia after completing his residency. During his tenure he became full professor and President of the clinical Staff. In 1993, John was appointed the Department's first Chief of the Division of General Surgery, a position he held until his retirement in 2015. Among his many accomplishments, John was elected president of Southeastern Surgical Conference, 1999-2000, served on the American Board of Surgery from 2005 to 2011, and was elected President of the Southern Surgical Association, 2017-2018.

John also proudly served as assistant coach to the Western Albemarle JV Baseball team for 20 years, alongside his close friend and baseball mentor, Buddy Clark.

Despite his many professional honors, awards, distinctions, and publications, John was most proud to be a dad to Mary and Laura, goofy grandpa to Alice and Jack, and loving and devoted husband of 50 years to Bonnie. He never missed a chance to cheer on his family in their lives and careers, and they were so lucky to have had him in their corner. One of John's mentees, Justin Barr, summed up these unique qualities recently:

"Many surgeons win awards; Dr. Hanks was unusual in how he won over people. With ever a twinkling eye and a school-boy grin, his infectious laughter lit up every room he entered. A raconteur par excellence, Dr. Hanks wove stories into jokes and jokes into stories, with no subject himself especially too sacrosanct to escape his mirth. An exceptionally rare surgeon who demanded perfection in patient care but kept everyone laughing along the way, John Hanks became not just a partner or boss or superior but a friend." - Justin Barr.

A celebration of the robust life of John Hanks will be organized by the family sometime in the spring of 2025. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to one of three organizations that John was incredibly proud of: Hope's Legacy Equine Rescue, Quebec-Labrador Foundation (QLF), and the Harris-Walz campaign.

John will be deeply missed, but as he so often encouraged each of us in hard times, "remember to keep sluggin' pal."