John C - Dad

My Dad, John Calvin Hannes was born in Philadelphia on June 2, 1926. He was the 3rd of 4 children of Wilbert Hutchinson and Francis. Francis died when Dad was 6 and he was raised by family members as Wilbert did his best in rebuilding family life. He left high school with early graduation and joined the Army, serving on a tug boat in the Phillipines. Coming home he completed training through correspondence courses on electrical theory and electronics. Working for Rex Company and later for Honeywell he received training in industrial control electronics and systems. He built a career in field service, helping industrial customers with preventive maintenance and solving critical process control problems. He enjoyed the complexity of multiple input systems and the pleasure of overcoming the unknown to solve the problems. He was lauded for his dedication and thoroughness with customers.

This coming Tuesday, June 2, is the 83rd anniversary of his birth. He made his transition in March 2005 in the early morning hours as he contemplated his favorite place, Alaska. He had a deep thirst for knowledge and understanding and forms of adventure. An avid Ham radio operator, K3IUZ, he built his own radio set and we always had an unsightly antenna in the backyard. In his 40's, Dad wanted to build a house in the Poconos. We did that together over a period of 3 years and then moved from Bucks County to the backwoods of North Eastern PA. Also in that period he took up boating, first power and then sailing. He and mom took summer journeys to Long Island Sound with their 30 foot C&C, 'Misty'. Later they motor-sailed from the Hudson River south to Florida, where they retired.

Looking back at my father's life and all of his gifts and activities I now see a theme of coming to peace. When I was a kid I experienced him as an angry man. As he aged, retired, and worked with some health challenges he changed and mellowed greatly. He had an opening of the heart. After a stroke he moved from the focused and driven to the social joy and story teller. He played pool, joked and laughed with his grandsons.

Just a few weeks before his passing we visited him in Florida. This picture, taken by his grandson, Tim, captured the physical man adjacent to the blue sky that he enjoyed so much.