William Nelson Hanson, Jr.

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William Nelson Hanson, Jr.

OXFORD — William Nelson Hanson, Jr., 84, of Oxford and Tampa, FL, died on Wednesday, January 12, 2011, in Tampa. He was born September 5, 1926 in Washington to William and Margaret (Trautner) Hanson, the third of eight children. He was educated in Maine and Massachusetts and attended Buckfield High School. He joined the Navy and fought in the Pacific during WWII. As a Seabee in Okinawa his experience at a lumber mill in Maine served him well when, as an 18 year old, he was put in charge of a confiscated Japanese lumber operation.

Over the next 30 years, his focus was military service and family. He left the Navy and joined the newly formed Air Force working as an aircraft mechanic. In addition to serving in three wars - WWII, Korea, and Vietnam - he was frequently deployed overseas whenever a flare-up occurred in the world. He retired as a Senior Master Sergeant in 1972.

Upon retirement to Tampa, FL, he started a second career as an air conditioning repairman, a useful skill in Florida.

He loved to read, fish, and follow NASCAR. But the thing he liked the most was to sit on the deck and watch the water at Thompson Lake in Oxford. After traveling all over the world with the military, he never wanted to go anywhere but Maine. For the last 30 years, he spent his summers in Maine at the family cabin.

This past Christmas he was able to gather with all of his descendants in Collierville, TN.

Mr. Nelson is survived by his wife of 55 years, Janice (Smith) Hanson, who he met in Buckfield; one son, Denis Hanson and his wife Nora Cameron of Cambridge, MA; one daughter, Cathleen Snow and her husband Bruce Snow of Collierville, TN; six grandchildren, Emily Bylund and her husband Kevin, Isaac Snow and his wife Rebecca, Jonathan Snow and his wife Whitney, Matthew Snow and his wife Stephani, Sarah Snow and Teresa Snow and four great-grandchildren. Other beloved survivors include Barbara Bennett of Buckfield, Judy Henshaw of Ellenton, FL, Bruce Hanson of South Paris and numerous Smith relatives.

A graveside service will be held in June at the Buckfield Cemetery.