LACONIA ---- Henry Paul “Hank” Hanson, 81, passed away on Monday, August 24, 2026.
Hank was born May 9, 1945, in Massachusetts to Henry Joseph Hanson and Elsie “Hoyt” Hanson. He grew up in the Lawrence area and attended Lawrence High School, Class of 1965.
Hank and his wife, Kathleen “Jane” Hanson, spent many years between New Hampshire’s Lakes Region and Florida, with Blueberry Lane in Laconia being their longtime home.
Hank spent his career in the vending industry, working for Coca-Cola, Redhill Vending, and Wise Potato Chips. He was a hard worker who often put in long hours to provide the best he could for his family.
Hank leaves behind his children, David Hanson and his wife, Audrey; Debbie Joseph; Chris Hanson; Eric Hanson and his wife, Lori; and Daniel Hanson and his wife, Jillian, as well as his bonus children, Ryan Alexander and his wife, Sarah, and Heather Alexander and her partner, Donald. Known as “Bampa” to his grandchildren, he was grandfather to Anthony Hanson, Brittany Hanson, Kylie Hanson, David Danner, Matthew Hanson, Taylor Berrios and her husband, James, Carter Hanson, Joshua Hanson, Noah, Emma Alexander, Trevor Alexander, Kodie Glover and his wife, Natalie, Mahala LaDuke and her partner, Jacob, and Emma-Jade LaDuke and her partner, Josh. Hank was great-grandfather to Ty Lee, Ava May, and Ace Micheal Jameson, with another great-granddaughter, Violet, expected in December to Emma-Jade and Josh. He is also survived by his sister, Sandra “Sandy” Hanson Houston, and extended family. He was predeceased by his parents, Henry Joseph Hanson and Elsie “Hoyt” Hanson.
Hank was a huge New England sports fan, especially the Boston Red Sox. He had an extensive collection of Coca-Cola memorabilia, and he and Jane enjoyed camping, yard saling, and antiquing together, always on the lookout for their next great find.
Some of the simplest memories of Bampa are among those that have become the most meaningful. His granddaughter Taylor remembers the years he picked her up from school in what she describes as the “ugliest fluorescent yellow Ford Escape”—a vehicle she found absolutely mortifying to be seen climbing in and out of as an elementary school student. Looking back, though, it isn't the embarrassing car she remembers most, Bampa was always there with a snack waiting for her, and he would turn on the pop songs and current hits he thought she would like, doing his best to sing along with her on the ride home. What once felt like an ordinary—and occasionally embarrassing—part of her childhood has become one of her most treasured memories of him. Kodie, Matt, and Taylor will remember their many attempts to beat Bampa’s high score on Spin to Win—a record he took great pride in holding.
Hank’s son Daniel remembers one lesson from his father that has stayed with him throughout his life: there is a time and a place for everything. That lesson has always brought Daniel’s mind to the words of Ecclesiastes chapter 3, which reminds us that “there is an appointed time for everything” and speaks of both “a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to wail and a time to dance.”
Hank was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and found comfort in the hope held out in the Bible. Psalm 23beautifully describes Jehovah as a caring Shepherd who provides guidance, comfort, and reassurance even during life’s darkest times. Hank and his family also found particular comfort in the promise at Revelation 21:4 of a future when death, mourning, and pain will be no more.
Hank’s life was uniquely his own. Those who knew him knew both his strengths and his imperfections, and each will carry their own memories of him. His family now looks forward to the fulfillment of the hope he held dear and to a time when painful goodbyes will be no more.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, 36 Babbitt Road, Franklin, NH.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services / 603Cremations.com, 164 Pleasant St., Laconia, NH, 03246, is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, please visit wilkinsonbeane.com.