Obituary
Bernard Allan “Al” Hanley
Al died on April 1, 2016 at Gundersen Health System after an 18-month illness. He was born in Grand Rapids Michigan on December 7, 1930 to Bernard John “BJ” and Beatrice DeMars Hanley. He grew up in Michigan and Minnesota prior to moving to Wisconsin.
He proudly served for four years in the United States Navy as a Sea Bee and was stationed in Trinidad. He attended the University of MN and taught classes at Dunwoody Institute for a period of time. Al was an insulation construction foreman for commercial building operations in the Twin Cities area for several years prior to moving to the La Crosse area where he was employed at Crown Cork and Seal for more than 25 years. He was a member of the International Association of Machinists and a past member of Heat and Frost Insulators.
Al married Jeannie Holmberg on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1972 in Denver Colorado and they enjoyed many years of celebrating their anniversaries and Irish heritage. Together they also enjoyed years of collecting and buying and selling antiques as a hobby. In addition to being an avid collector he and Jeannie were members of numerous collectors’ organizations as well as national and state political collectors’ groups, and together they volunteered to help support many candidates running for office.
Al was an avid history buff, known especially for his vast knowledge of Native American history, and had an incredible gift of remembering general trivia. He believed in lifelong learning, could not be beaten at Trivial Pursuit, and was also an outstanding chess player who won many tournaments beginning in his youth. He also loved classical music and was a supporter of NPR and WPR for many years.
Al also appreciated the beauty and serenity of nature and each fall looked forward to spending time in the woods deer hunting, a sport that he first enjoyed doing with his dad as a boy. He also loved hiking in the woods, bird identification, rock collecting, duck hunting, canoeing, and downhill and cross-country skiing. He actively supported environmental conversation efforts and was a member of the Sierra Club and a past member of Ducks Unlimited. In addition, he was a dedicated Packers, Badgers, and Brewers’ fan.
Al will be remembered for his quick wit and was blessed with the gift of humor that kept people laughing. He was a spiritual person who never believed in taking life too seriously, was always good natured, kind to others, never complained, and remained positive, even in the time of serious illness.
He is survived by his loving wife, Jeannie, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends as well as his faithful dog, Peggy Sue. He was preceded in death by his parents Bea and BJ, one brother Howard Hanley, sister-in-law, Joyce Hanley, and a daughter, Laurie Hanley. He touched the lives of many and will be deeply missed.
Private family services and burial with military honors will be held at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis where his father and brother are also laid to rest. A Celebration of Life will be held locally at a later date. Coulee Region Cremation Group is assisting the family.
The family would like to thank Dr. Chad Thurman, primary care physician, for his many years of care and expertise, Dr. Greg Thompson, his pulmonologist, and Dr. Balaji Srinivasan, his nephrologist, as well as the entire healthcare team at the Renal Dialysis Unit of Gundersen Health System for their wonderful care over the last eighteen months. Finally, the family would like to extend a special thanks to the entire hospital team that provided quality care during his last hospitalization.
Memorial gifts to the Coulee Region Humane Society, the American Lung Association, or the National Kidney Foundation are preferred in his name.
God saw you getting tired,
When a cure was not to be.
So He wrapped his arms around you,
And whispered, “Come to me.”
You didn’t deserve what you went through,
So He gave you rest.
God’s garden must be beautiful,
He only takes the best.
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sunshine be warm upon your face,
May the rains fall upon your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
I considered Al to be a good friend as well as a fellow collector. We enjoyed many laughs together for 20 plus years at work though with Al the laughs were often groans when he would insert one of his horrible puns. He led an interesting life and had some hilarious stories to tell. I enjoyed time spent with Al both at work and socially swapping tales and comparing collections. I will miss him. Rest in peace you old Frisbaterian.