Richard Allen Hanson

Richard Allen Hanson entered his final rest on December 8, 2024, at 89 years of age. Dick was born to Pete and Verna Hanson in Walla Walla, Washington. He was raised in Touchet and attended and graduated from Touchet school in 1953. He graduated from Perry Technical Institute in Yakima, Washington, in 1955.  As an electrician, Dick wired instrument panels on 757s at Boeing in Seattle, where he met the love of his life, Mary Haberlin. Dick and Mary married on September 13, 1958, in Seattle. They started their family in Seattle but soon moved to Touchet and raised their five girls in their current home. Dick worked for the Walla Walla County Road Department overseeing the Touchet area from 1963 - 2000. After retiring from the County Road Department in 2000, Dick became a bus driver for the Touchet School district and thoroughly enjoyed transporting students, athletes, and staff until his second retirement in 2022. Dick also served many years on the Touchet School Board, the volunteer fire department Chief, he was a member of the Touchet Lions’ Club, and was a lifetime member of the Walla Walla Elk’s Club. Dick and Mary also chaired the Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days Parade for many years.

Dick was honored as the second Touchet Hall of Fame Award Recipient in 2010, and he and Mary were honored as the Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days Parade Marshalls in 2023. His willingness to serve his community was remarkable. He would answer calls for roadside assistance, construction, and electrical advice and was well-known as the guy to call if you locked your keys in your car. Dick’s service to his community was only superseded by his service and devotion to his family. He was well-loved for his selfless servant’s heart and will be missed by many.

Dick is survived by his wife, Mary Hanson; his daughters and sons-in-law, Patti and Darrell Loney, Judi and Richard Easton, Traci and LeLand Weber all of Touchet, Jenni and Bill Erickson of Connell, and Polli and Donny Weaver of College Place. Grandpa Hanson will also be dearly missed by his ten grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, December 21, 2024, at 11:00 AM, at the Touchet High School gymnasium. Lunch will follow.

Memorial Contributions may be made to the Touchet Educational Foundation through the Herring Groseclose Funeral Home, 315 W Alder St, Walla Walla WA 99362. Friends and family are invited to sign the online guestbook at www.herringgroseclose.com.