Wayland High Sch
ool graduate Robert Gene Hanlon of Brentwood, Calif., died Sunday, May 29, at his home. He was 81.
ool graduate Robert Gene Hanlon of Brentwood, Calif., died Sunday, May 29, at his home. He was 81.He was the son of Russell Edward and Helen Gertrude Hanlon, born in Grand Rapids and raised in Wayland. He graduated from Wayland High School in 1953 and earned a bachelor of science degree from the School of Packaging, Michigan State University in 1957 at which time he also earned an AFROTC commission. Following flight training in Oklahoma in the summer of 1956, Robert married Judith Arlene Peffley. They were married for nearly 60 years.
“Bob” served his Air Force Commission at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio, for three years, and in 1960 began an enduring career with Dow Chemical Company, in early years designing plastic and foam packaging components in Midland, then marketing pharmaceuticals in northern California and finally engineering pharmaceutical packaging in Indianapolis.
He joined LifeScan (Johnson & Johnson) in Palo Alto, Calif., in 1983 and led product package engineering projects until he retired in 2000. He resided in Pleasanton, Sonora, and Twain Harte, before moving to Brentwood in 2007.
His love of flight and amateur radio were lifelong pursuits. In recent years, Bob led volunteer efforts to maintain emergency radio “nets” and Ham radio equipment for local hospitals in the East Bay. He enjoyed restoring antique Zenith radios to their former beauty and working condition. Genealogy research was another avid passion to the benefit of family.
Bob is survived by his wife, Judy, of Brentwood, two children: Robert ( Anne) Hanlon of Pleasanton, Calif., and Patricia (Keith) Teel of Southington, Conn.; and two grandchildren: Kayla and Bryson Teel.
A brief graveside memorial will be conducted at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 23, at Elmwood Cemetery, Wayland, for family and friends.
In his honor, in lieu of flowers, Bob would encourage donation, especially of blood, to the Red Cross, or to local blood banks as he was passionate about frequently donating his own blood for critical needs.