Joseph Lyle Hannah

1929 - 2016

Joseph Lyle Hannah died peacefully July 17th, 2016 in Sacramento, California at the age of 87. Joe was born on May 14th, 1929, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At the age of 18, Joe was accepted into the U.S. Navy ROTC program and moved to New Orleans to attend Tulane University. Living in New Orleans was a wonderful time for Joe; he was active in his church, studied hard, and even managed to learn to play golf. Through the ROTC Joe had the opportunity to both serve his country and pursue one of his fondest wishes: to see the world. In 1948 as a Midshipman, Joe traveled to Spain, Italy, Morocco, and Rome. While in Rome, Joe visited the Vatican and was honored with an audience with Pope Pius XII. In 1951 after graduating from Tulane with a BS in Zoology, Joe was commissioned Ensign USN and joined the Supply Department of the USS Algol. He was later transferred to the USS Hollister as both Supply Officer and Dispersing Officer and was promoted to Lieutenant. Joe bravely served aboard the Hollister during the Korean Conflict and received several commendations including the Korean Service Metal and National Defense Metal. In 1954 Joe left active duty, bought his first new car (his beloved blue Nash Rambler) and began a new journey in his life. He explored Canada, Niagara Falls, Nashville, and ended up in California to attend Pepperdine College. He graduated just a year later with a BA in Literature. After graduation, Joe worked in the Sequoia National Forest then moved back to Oklahoma. But California was calling and Joe soon loaded up the Nash and returned to take up residence in beautiful San Francisco. By 1956, he was living near Golden Gate Park (in his landlady's garage!) and dating the love-of-his-life, Betty. S.F. was a wonderful city for courting; Joe's favorite places to take Betty included Coit Tower and the Cliff House Restaurant. After two years of dating, Joe and Betty were married on July 4th 1958 at the 17th Street Church of Christ in San Francisco, where they met. Being "settled down" was just a dream for the young couple. Joe's career at Crocker Bank resulted in several transfers. He and Betty moved to Sacramento, Fresno, San Jose, and then back to Sacramento- with children in tow. All the while, Joe was also on Active Reserves for the Navy. He missed many weekends at home working at Treasure Island Naval Base and Naval Air Station Alameda, eventually achieving the rank of Commander. In 1988, after several promotions and the acquisition of Crocker Bank by Wells Fargo, Joe left the banking world. In retirement, Joe was free to pursue his charitable and personal interests. He volunteered as a counselor at Sierra Bible Camp for 15 years, wrote religious dramatizations, and took great care of his aging father-in-law, mother-in-law and sister-in-law. He also loved attending his "Old Man" Bible classes and "spoiling a good walk" by playing golf with his best friends. The theater was also one of Joe's great joys he gave generously to the Sacramento Musical Theater and enjoyed his season tickets for over 25 years. Joe was preceded in death by his parents, John L. and Ruby, and his brother, Larry. He is survived by his wife, Betty; his children Jon (Janice), Carol (Christopher) and Suzanne (Gary); and his five grand-children James, Jack, Matthew, Samuel, and Elizabeth. A service will be held at 11:00 on Saturday July 23rd at Central Church of Christ, 6755 San Joaquin Street in Sacramento. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Disabled American Veterans or attend a local musical theater performance.