Robert Dallas Hanson

For the majority of his working life, at a time when Walla Walla was a much smaller and closely-knit community, Bob Hanson was a tavern and restaurant owner known by most residents of Walla Walla County, many of whom Bob counted as friends. He was known by all who knew him, even casually, for his great sense of humor, his kindness, and his unfailing honesty. Bob loved trading good jokes and telling great stories. Above all, Bob treasured time spent with his family and good friends.

Bob was a member of the Walla Walla Country Club for 45 years. He was a charter member of the Valley Investment Club, whose early trading practices largely revolved around the dice game 4,5,6. Every Spring for 40 years, he went fishing for several days in Twin Lakes, Idaho, with fellow WaHi ’54 classmates and close friends George Sullivan, Dave Casper, Jim Shepherd, and Bob Becker. For the last several decades, he could be found every weekday morning at 8:00 with his coffee group. The places they met changed over time, but each member had their assigned seating. Bob loved golf (he had four holes-in-one) and, after his retirement, could reliably be found most afternoons on the first tee at the WWCC. Bob was known for his exceptional short game, which often proved profitable for him.

Bob married Dorothy Lynch on January 28, 1966, and they were life-long companions. Later in their marriage, they traveled in the winter months, usually to someplace warm, favorites being Mexico and Hawaii - he loved to swim in warm waters. Like Dorothy, Bob was a Democrat, usually underplaying the notoriety of belonging to what was locally a relatively rare species.

Bob attended Green Park Grade School and graduated from Wa-Hi in 1954. Bob volunteered for the Army in 1955 and was stationed at Aschaffenburg military base in Bavaria, Germany, where he was trained as a sniper. While there, he took leave opportunities to explore Europe in a new VW Bug he and fellow Walla Wallan and enlistee Paul Board purchased. Bob’s recounting of the kilometers he and Paul logged on the Bug’s odometer trapped circling the roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, where 12 boulevards converge, was a favorite. Bob was justifiably gratified by serving his country.

Following his discharge from the Army, he worked for a time for Boise Cascade before embarking on business for himself. Bob owned, either solely or some degree of partnership, the Silver Tavern, which became the Lamplight, the Steakout, which he later reopened as Barnaby’s, the Red Apple, and Tommy’s Dutch Lunch.

Bob was born in Walla Walla on April 9, 1936, to Allen (Mooch) Hanson and Wilma (Willie) Brown Hanson; he died peacefully at home the morning of December 1, 2018. Bob’s parents, Willie and Mooch, his son, Robin, his son-in-law, Shad Gannon, and his brother, Duane Hanson, predeceased him. Bob’s wife, Dorothy, his daughter, Emily Gannon, and his granddaughters, Jane Gannon, Holly Gannon, and Zoë Gannon, each of whom brought him such joy and pride in his life, survive him.

Bob will be greatly and long missed by those who loved him, but our memories of him, of the truly good and genuine man, that he was, will bring frequent smiles to our faces and will be cherished by us for many, many years to come. We are confident his friends share in these sentiments.

A celebration of life will be held Friday, December 28, 2018, at the Walla Walla Country Club from 2 to 4 p.m. Memorial contributions in Bob’s memory may be made to the National Kidney Foundation or to a charity of one’s choice through the Herring Groseclose Funeral Home, 315 W. Alder, Walla Walla, WA.