Standish Hanks, of Leeds, Massachusetts, died on Sept. 28, 2025, a month shy of his 96th birthday.
Known to family and friends as Stan, he was born in Wellesley, Mass., on Oct. 23, 1929, the son of Harold S. and L. Pearl (Frost) Hanks. He graduated from Wellesley High School in 1947, attended the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, graduating from the Stratford School of Business Administration in 1951. He married Nancy Ruthe Jewell of Wellesley in 1951.
Mr. Hanks served in the US Army during the Korean War, entering the service in 1951. After graduating from Officers Candidate School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, he saw combat as an Artillery Forward Observer with the 40th Infantry Division in the Punchbowl and Heartbreak area of Korea. Among his service decorations, he received the United Nations Medal, the Korean Service Medal with two Battle Stars, and a Bronze Star Medal with Combat V.
After leaving the Service, Mr. Hanks joined Dennison Mfg Co. of Framingham, Mass., in 1955 as a Time study/Methods engineer. Later, he became an Asst. Purchasing Agent and finally retired in 1987 as Manager-Corporate Raw Materials Purchases. While working at Dennison, the Hanks resided in Sudbury, Mass., and spent summers since 1968 at his vacation home in Reading, Vt., prior to making it his permanent residence in 1987. He was active in Reading, Vt. Town affairs, serving as Justice of the Peace, Woodstock Union High School Committee Member, and various town committees. He moved to Yarmouth, Maine, in 2005 and enjoyed most of his remaining years there, close to family, friends, and outdoor pursuits he so loved.
Mr. Hanks was a lifelong outdoor enthusiast, fly fishing, skiing into his 80s. He was a member of the United States Field Artillery Assn., VFW, and the Korean War Veterans Association.
He was predeceased by his wife Nancy J. Hanks in 1996. He is survived by a son, Mark S. Hanks of Telluride, CO; two daughters, Diana Hanks of Winooski, Vt., and Martha Hanks Nicoll of New Salem, Mass., three grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. A private service will be held at a later date at the family plot in Woodlawn Cemetery, Wellesley, Mass..
Friends wishing to make a memorial donation may send it to a charity of their choice. Drozdal Funeral Home of Northampton, Mass., has been entrusted with his services. For more information or to leave the family a personal condolence, please visit drozdalfuneralhome.com.
