Lyman B. Hanley
Lyman B. Hanley, 88, of Othello died Tuesday, June 26, 2007, at the Kadlec Medical Center in Richland, Wash.
Lyman was born on March 27, 1919, in Caldwell, Idaho, to Lyman B. and Elizabeth (Huston) Hanley. He attended school in Caldwell until his father became ill and Lyman left school to work on the family farm. He met Thelma Riggs and they married in Nampa, Idaho, on Nov. 25, 1939. Lyman and Thelma moved to Seattle where Lyman worked at BeeBee Hoist Co., building Hoists for the war effort. He then returned to Caldwell where he worked for the Bureau of Reclamation until he was drafted into the U.S. Army. Lyman was very proud of serving in the Japanese Occupational Forces near the end of WWII and had many stories to tell of his time in the Pacific Theater of Duty, especially of his 23-day trip home on an overcrowded ship. After his discharge Lyman and Thelma moved back to Caldwell where Lyman returned to his position with the Bureau of Reclamation as a Heavy Equipment Operator on the Black Canyon Project from 1946 through 1955 when he was transferred to Warden then to Royal Camp in 1956. Thelma passed away in 1967 as the result of a car accident. In 1968 Lyman married Pauline Hollan in Othello. In 1983 Lyman retired from the bureau of reclamation after 37 years. His wife Pauline died in 1997.
Lyman will be remembered as a storyteller, he relished in the opportunity to relive his life and remember the people in it by sharing his stories. Having grown up in the Depression, family was everything to Lyman. He always looked forward to the family summer reunions, never missing one in 37 years. Lyman loved homemade ice cream. He collected electric trains and was very proud of his HO scale, passenger and military trains. He also collected stamps in his younger years as well as being an avid coin collector, a hobby he was still pursuing at the time of his death. He was also a woodworker, fashioning animals, trains and vehicles out of blocks of wood. He was a member of the Paul Revere Masonic Lodge #205 of Othello, F & AM of Washington. He was also a member of the Retreads of the Nazarene Church of Othello. He belonged to the Operating Engineers Local # 305 and was a past shop steward of the local. Lyman rode motorcycles most of his life and even as he grew older he would ride his three-wheeler around town, He even dumped it once as his attention strayed to a passing friend.
Lyman was preceded in death by his parents, his wives Thelma and Pauline, two brothers John (Stew) and Huston Hanley and a sister Eunice Lee. He is survived by his 104-year old sister, Norma Donnelly of Pocatello, Idaho, his three sons; Robert D. (Marilyn) Hanley of Casa Grande, Lyman L (Lanna) Hanley of Pierce, Ariz., and Duane (Clarkette) Hollan of Bridgeport, Wash., his two daughters; Carol Ann (Willis) Miller of Royal City, Anita (William) Wann of Hillsboro, Ore., his special friend Rose Anderson of Othello, 18 grandchildren, 38 greatt-grandchildren, two great-great grandchildren.
A time for final visitation has been set-aside at Stevens Funeral Chapel on Sunday July 1, beginning at 4 p.m. and concluding at 7 p.m. A celebration of Lyman's life will be held on Monday, July 2, at 10 a.m. at the Othello Church of the Nazarene. A vault entombment will follow at Bess Hampton memorial Gardens.
The family invites you to view this obituary along with pictures of Lyman and to sign his guest book at stevensfuneralchapel.com.