Cornelius Henry "Hank" Traweek III

Cornelius Henry "Hank" Traweek III died on April 5, 2025 at his home in Solon, OH, with a fire in the fireplace, and his beloved wife and four sons surrounding him. Hank was born in Baton Rouge, LA on June 3, 1943 to Cornelius Henry Traweek Jr (a business man) and Camille Traweek (nee. Montgomery), an accomplished artist. He was the first of 4 children; Mary Camille Traweek, Elizabeth Ann Traweek, and Edward Montgomery Traweek. "Sonny", as he was called by his parents and siblings, graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bachelors Degree in Science, with aims of being a dentist, but for a disqualifying chemistry exam grade that led him along a different path; one of God's great and unexpected redirections in his life. After graduation, Hank joined the Air Force as a pilot, flying various aircraft from small jets to C-141 "Starliner" cargo planes to Jolly Green helicopters in far-flung locations such as Brazil, Japan, Spain, Turkey, and on missions to Vietnam. He was highly regarded as a pilot by his superiors. While stationed in Dover, DE in 1967, Hank was introduced by his Navigator to a young teacher named Lois Olsen from Ridgewood New Jersey, culturally and physically far from his native Louisiana. After about a year, he proposed marriage, but his pending assignment to Danang, Vietnam made them fearful for their future and hesitant to get engaged. By the grace of God (once again), he was re-assigned to Topeka, KS for rescue helicopter training, with plans to send him to a US Airforce base in Thailand. He and Lois got married and moved to Topeka, KS where he was promoted to Flight Commander and he served the remainder of his active duty. After his active duty service, Hank worked in the early digital banking industry representing Xerox and Diebold, before returning to his first professional love of airplanes; going to work for Beckett Aviation, a fixed-base operator (private airport) out of Youngstown, Ohio. While with Beckett, he proved himself to be a great relationship builder, reliable judge of character, and a great leader of people. Hank left Beckett to join the team who established Hopkins Aviation/MillionAire. The company hangared and maintained airplanes for many famous and infamous characters during their visits to Cleveland, including Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Vice President Bush, and even Jackie Presser. Hank and Lois raised four sons Daniel, Keith, Matt, and Steven, all of whom adored and admired their father for his warmth, wit, and way with people. He was the leader of Indian Guides' troops, hosted school trips to Hopkins Aviation and to Dayton Airforce Base, and was actively involved in their lives in sports, school projects, Pinewood Derbies, and summer trips. He and Lois provided an open, warm, welcoming home to all of their friends. He made many sacrifices for the family, as did Lois, when for a time he ran Hancor, a plastics recycling business out of Findlay, OH, and commuted each week to avoid moving his teenage sons. Hank was known for his sense of humor, genuine interest in anyone he met, and ability to tell interesting stories. He had a way with words, assigned long-lasting nicknames to anyone who frequented the house, and was a favorite among the boys' friends, in part due to his sometimes off-color sense of humor, and his engaging banter. He cherished evening cocktails and conversation with Lois every night and dinners at the table with his family, where he told stories from the day, and recounted Paul Harvey's "The Rest of the Story" daily, highlighting the unexpected twists and blessings that we all encounter in some form or another, if we're paying attention. He completed his military career as a Lt Colonel in the Air National Guard on September 5, 1993, after 25 yrs, 9 months and 4 days of service. He was responsible for the 179th Airlift Wing in Mansfield, OH at the time of his retirement from the military. In retirement, he spent all of his time with the love of his life, Lois, whom he called "The Queen". He was, in every possible way, a dedicated and devoted husband. They spent time in St Augustine, FL, Cleveland, and Sanbornville, NH throughout his later years. The final year of his life he faced rapidly declining health with constant, unfailing hope, and his trademark optimism. He dreaded the prospect of each hospital stay but once he was there, he relished new interactions with nurses, doctors, and surgeons he met, finding common ground and sharing interesting stories with his sons about anything positive he could pull from difficult experiences, be it the "surprisingly good food", "sweet as can be nurse" he seemed to be assigned on every shift, or conversations he had with a roommate (prefacing that he had, at first, hoped for a solo room). In every difficult experience, he took away the good fruit of God's plans for him. In his final stay in the hospital, many nurses and doctors stopped by to recount past experiences they had with him, and how loved he was by those who served in his care. He's survived by his wife of 56 years, Lois, his sons Daniel, Keith (Meredith), Matt (Molly), Steve (Ellen) and their 7 grandchildren, as well as his sisters Mary Camille Maddox (Mike), Elizabeth Ann Pisa (John), and his brother Edward Montgomery Traweek. He's preceded in death by his father and mother and Lois's parents, with whom he had a close relationship. No formal funeral services are planned at this time. The family will host a Celebration of Life at a later date, to be determined. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF).