John Thomas Hanes

John Thomas Hanes was born August 7, 1936, in Marshall, Missouri, and passed into eternal peace on November 29, 2025, in Oklahoma City, with his family by his side.

John grew up on a small farm that did not have running water or electricity until he was fifteen. They did not have a phone until after he left for college. John, his father and younger brother often had to hunt and fish to provide food for the family. For entertainment, his father would connect an old car battery to a radio.

He attended a one room schoolhouse, where grades 1-8 were taught together. When the teacher was addressing students from other grades, he would read the encyclopedia once he finished his work, which became a lifelong habit. He especially like to read about history and biographies.

John attended high school in Marshall, and was blessed to have a vo-ag teacher who saw potential in him that he did not see in himself. Ray McClure encouraged him to enter a state-wide FFA speech contest, which he won, and he came in second in the subsequent regional competition. Mr. McClure then inspired him to run for the Presidency of FFA for the state of Missouri. When he won, John became the first President who had not previously been the President of a local chapter. Over the following year, he traveled around the state giving speeches and developing leadership skills, experiences which helped him throughout his life and business career.

Mr. McClure also advised John to go to college. John and his mother searched the area for scholarship funds and managed to raise about 20% of the cost of his first year at the University of Missouri. He raised the remainder of the funds by selling his sows and heifers. In addition to the scholarships, during the following years John worked three part-time jobs and was a member of the Air Force ROTC program. He still had no money, no car and no social life. He joined the Alpha Gamma Sigma fraternity and became its President during his senior year. He also served as the Captain of the Meat Judging Team when they won the national championship. At the spring dance during his senior year, he met the love of his life, Janet, on a blind date, and they became engaged at the end of that summer. John graduated in 1958 with a B.S. in Agriculture with a concentration in Food Science/Meat Science, and then entered the Air Force.

John dreamed of being a pilot, but he didn’t pass the final eye exam before entering flight school. He became a supply officer and was assigned to two remote radar bases in Japan. When he was transferred back to the States, John and Janet married in January of 1960. The Presbyterian pastor in Kansas City who counseled them prior to the wedding said that he would marry them, but that it wouldn’t last. They remained happily married for 65 years and 11 months until his passing.

Once John completed his service in the Air Force, he interviewed with all the big meat companies. He selected Wilson Foods because the Vice President who met with him was 38 years old, while the Vice Presidents at all the other companies were in their 50’s. John thought Wilson would provide an opportunity to advance, and it did. He started as a product manager in Kansas City, but soon transferred to the corporate office in Chicago. The company sponsored him to enroll in the Executive MBA program at the University of Chicago. He worked full-time while going to school at night and on the weekends. He was amazed to have risen from a one-room schoolhouse to study under three Nobel Laureates at a prestigious university. He earned his MBA in 1969.

When he was in his 30’s, he ran the largest hog-slaughtering operation in the world at that time. He transferred to Oklahoma City at the end of 1972 when the company relocated its corporate office. In 1977 he was given the assignment of turning around Fischer’s Packing Co. in Louisville, Kentucky. The senior officers were thinking about shutting it down, but by the time John returned to the corporate office in Oklahoma City three years later, it was the most profitable division in the company. John helped guide Wilson through several tumultuous periods in the 1980’s, and eventually became its President. In 1994, he retired from Wilson Foods/Doskocil Companies as the Chairman, President and CEO. John continued to work for over twenty years as a consultant in the meat industry and served on the Boards of several food companies, including one that owned the J.C. Potter Sausage Co.

In the early 90’s, John’s friend, Dr. David Brown, founded a thinktank in Oklahoma City to promote freedom and the competitive enterprise system through public policy research and activism. John joined the Board of Trustees of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs and served as the President on a volunteer basis during its early years. Once the organization grew to the point where it needed a professional full-time manager, John stepped back from his part-time executive role, but remained an active Board member and mentor to the staff for well over twenty years.

John joined Rotary in 2005. He closely identified with its moto, “service above self”, which was a way of life he learned from his mother. John greatly enjoyed the fellowship, learning and service opportunities provided by his club, and he maintained a perfect attendance record spanning over sixteen years.

John was blessed to have hard working, God-fearing grandparents and parents who raised him in faith. He was baptized in a cow pond at the age of twelve. John and Janet joined the Presbyterian Church, and John served as a Deacon, Treasurer, Sunday school teacher and Elder. More recently, he was a member of Crossings Community Church.

John thought five keys were essential for the achievements in his life: 1) the Grace of God, 2) the support of a loving wife, 3) hard work, 4) a good education, and 5) the free enterprise system. He also carried the spirit of Mr. McClure’s mentorship throughout his life by guiding and encouraging others, and he especially liked helping people find jobs.

One of his favorite quotes came from Calvin Coolidge: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

One of his favorite books was, The Greatest Salesman in the World, by Og Mandino, which focuses on the importance of positive thinking, self-discipline and persistence.

John was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas and Mae, his brother Don, his sister Mary Ann, and his son Bradley. He is survived by his wife Janet, son Byron, and several beloved nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held in the Chapel at Crossings Community Church (14600 N. Portland Ave., 73134) on Wednesday, December 10, at 1 pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in John’s memory to the Voice of Hope initiative at Crossings Community Church, or your favorite charity.

To watch the memorial service please follow the link: https://vimeo.com/event/5558232/b190ff6d61