Walter W. Jake Hanna

Mr. Walter Wilson Jake Hanna, 95, of Wadesboro, North Carolina, and Little River, South Carolina, passed away peacefully on August 21, 2016, at Anson Health and Rehab. Mr. Hanna was born on February 26, 1921, in Wadesboro, the son of the late Preston Ferrell Hanna and Rosa Brower Hanna. He was preceded in death by sisters Elizabeth Watts and Christine Lisenby and brothers James Hanna and Everette Hanna. A service to honor his life will be held at 2:00 pm Saturday, August 27, 2016, at Leavitt Funeral Home in Wadesboro. The family will receive friends beginning at 1:00 pm. Burial with military honors will follow at Anson Memorial Park. The Rev. Dr. Sarah B. Kalish, minister of First United Methodist Church of Wadesboro, where he was an active member until the time of his death, will officiate. During World War II, Mr. Hanna enlisted in the Army Air Corps on November 25, 1942. It was during his 17th Mission as a tail gunner in a B-24 Liberator that his plane was shot down over Bernbeg, Germany. After parachuting out, he was captured by the German Luftwaffe and taken first to Frankfurt, Germany, and then to Stalag 17 in Krems, Austria, where he remained a POW from April 11, 1944, until being liberated on May 3, 1945. He received numerous decorations, including the Silver Star and POW Medal. In his later years, he enjoyed speaking to school and civic groups about his service to his Country. After his discharge from the Service, he returned to Wadesboro and on June 27, 1947, married Rebecca Ruth Ratliff, who preceded him in death on July 3, 2014, after 67 years of marriage. In 1981, he retired as Director of Public Utilities of the town of Wadesboro. Mr. Hanna is survived by two daughters and their spouses, Diane Hanna Truman and Dr. George Truman of Wadesboro, Deborah Hanna McPhail and Fred McPhail, Jr. of Charlotte, and one son and his spouse, Walter W. Jake Hanna, Jr. and Dr. Eve Hanna of Tampa, Florida. He is also survived by five grandchildren: Constance Covington Smith and husband Charles of Palm Beach, Florida; Walter Boyce Covington and wife Lanna of Monroe; Dr. E. Fred McPhail III and wife Cecelia of Winston-Salem; David Wilson McPhail and wife Rebecca of Charlotte; and Wilson Lee Hanna of Tampa, Florida; and seven great-grandchildren, Hanna Elks and Charles Smith IV, Grace and Miriam McPhail, Bella and Robert Lane Covington, and Anne Stewart McPhail. He is also survived by a sister-in-law, Mrs. Everett (Cherrie) Hanna, numerous nieces and nephews, three step-grandchildren, and special family friend, Susie Curtiss. The family deeply appreciates the compassionate care provided by Anson Health and Rehab, Dr. Whit Blount, and Dr. Martin Kreshon. Memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church, 118 E. Morgan Street, Wadesboro, NC 28170, or to the Anson County Veterans Council, Inc., PO Box 791, Wadesboro, NC 28170 for their Wadesboro Park project. Visitation Leavitt Funeral Home Saturday August 27th, 2016 1:00pm - 2:00pm 2036 Morven Road Wadesboro, NC 28170 Funeral Service Leavitt Funeral Home Saturday August 27th, 2016 2:00pm 2036 Morven Road Wadesboro, NC 28170