John Alan Hanson

John passed away on May 31, 2019 with family by his side.

John was born and raised in West Seattle to Fred and Muriel Hanson, one of 5 brothers and only 1 beloved sister.  He grew up on Seola Beach eating geoduck burgers, gathering driftwood for fires in their home, and swimming in the sound. His parents would drop John and his brothers off at Denny Creek for two weeks each summer with nothing but small packs and their wits to keep themselves alive and entertained.

John loved sports.  He loved to play sports, he loved to watch sports, and he loved to coach sports.

John particularly  loved fastpitch softball for which he was inducted into the Greater Seattle Fastpitch Hall of Fame in June of 2000.  One of his favorite trips to play ball was to Alaska where he enjoyed all of the daylight that the land of the midnight sun had to offer.  Countless young men of the community will fondly remember John as a coach of the West Seattle High School baseball team. When he was no longer coaching, he could be found offering  advice from the stands.

John married Sandy on August 13, 1965.  Except for a few years when they lived on Snoqualmie Pass, their nearly 54 year marriage was spent in West Seattle.  

The years on Snoqualmie Pass were memorable ones as John owned and operated his own tow truck company.  Back in West Seattle, John drove truck for Bloch Steel where he was a proud Teamster.  

West Seattle is also where John and Sandy raised their two sons, Steve and Jason.

John was always up for a really,  good laugh.  Cracking jokes, listening to stories or holding court, John spent much of his time with friends and family enjoying a laugh.

John relished the role of grandpa or  “Bumpa” as his three granddaughters called him and was the honorary  neighborhood grandpa, stocking frozen treats in the garage freezer where kids could get to them.

John loved to play card games or dice games.  The last several months of his life, you could find him and Sandy at the dining table enjoying a game of Yahtzee.

John was fiercely loyal to family and friends, stood up for justice and fairness, and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

John is preceded in death by his parents and brother, George.  John is survived by his wife, Sandy, sister, Wynn, brothers, Fred and Jim, sons Steve (Tammy) and Jason (Joanne) and three granddaughters Lindsay, Amber, Rheese.

A Memorial Service will be held at

St. John’s Episcopal Church 3050 California Avenue SW on Saturday, June 15th at 1:00pm

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to West Seattle High School Baseball.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of John Alan Hanson, please visit our floral store.