William C. Hanson Jr.

William C. Hanson Jr., 78, died Sept. 19, 2011, with his family by his side.

Bill was born July 5, 1933, in Bayless, Calif., in his aunt Stella’s house. Bill spent his early years in the Ord Bend area. He attended grammar school in Chico, finally graduating from Chico High School in 1951. Bill received a special honor for having completed four years with no absent days in high school.

In search of work, he moved to Susanville, Calif., close to his sister, Phyllis. While there, he was drafted into the Army, serving from May 1953 to May 1955 in Alaska as a pole lineman in the Signal Corps.

Returning to Chico, he worked for Lyle Olson Stucco and Masonry. About 1958, he started his own contracting company, building houses and apartments around the Chico area.

In June 1957, Bill married Marilyn James and they had two sons, Glenn and Steve. Buying land north of Chico, they built a small ranch, breeding and showing horses.

After divorcing in 1974, he later married Barbara Bates and raised two more boys, David and Gary. They divorced in the early 1980s.

By the mid-1980s he started making a business change to bookkeeping with his friend Roger Cowley. On Feb. 14, 1989, he remarried his first love, Marilyn. Living in Biggs, Bill continued working with his construction friends and bookkeeping.

Always a hard worker, Bill was often the go-to guy to get it built or fixed, and he was always a good provider.

In the early years, the fall deer seasons were spent with family and friends in northeast California and Nevada. Later on, as time and age took over, arthritis limited his activities. He really enjoyed watching his 49ers on television, but any ball game was good.

Known for his gentle, kind spirit, it was hard to remember him saying anything negative of people he knew or hearing any of them speak negatively of Bill. His friends would say, “Willy, let’s go to work.”

There will be a memorial service for Bill at 11 a.m., Oct. 8, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 400 Spruce St., Gridley, Calif.

View and send condolences online at Newton-Bracewell Chico Funeral Home’s website at nbcfh.com.