Donald Leroy Hanson July 7, 1927 – November 12 , 2017

Don was born July 7, 1927, one of eleven children to Essie and Everett Hanson in Monroe, Washington, and passed away on November 12th, 2017. Don leaves behind his loving wife of 68 years, Dolores; daughter Lorraine; three grandchildren, one great-granddaughter, and many nieces and nephews. Don was preceded in death by all his 10 siblings, his mother-in-law, Minnie Schluter, and his son-in-law, Ted “Buda” McKinnon.

        At the age of 18, Don joined the US Army and belonged to the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment where he earned his wings as a US Paratrooper. During his military career, he became a licensed truck driver, and quickly learned the joy of driving a truck. This joy led to a lifelong passion of driving trucks and heavy equipment. After his military service, he continued driving trucks and worked for various trucking companies in the Sky Valley area. In the 1950s Don started his own log trucking company and was known throughout the area as the “Blue Angel.” He drove his log truck daily until he retired from driving at the age of 84. Throughout his driving career he was an active member of the Washington Trucking Association, and was a former president of the Sultan chapter.

       Through the years, Don had many hobbies and outdoor activities that he enjoyed. Don enjoyed hunting deer and elk, steelhead fishing on the Skykomish River, and spending time with his friends and family. Don’s love of horses led him to join the Trailriders Club, and he became an accomplished barrel racer. For a while, Don was also a safety inspector during races at the Sky Valley race track. For many years Don and Dolores owned a Cessna airplane and flew all over the west coast. Throughout his truck driving years, and his retirement, Don could always be found sitting at a restaurant, drinking coffee with his friends and trucking buddies at Petosa’s, the BuzzInn, and most recently at the Red Barn.

        Services for Don will be held on Saturday, April 14, 2018 from 11:30am to 1:00pm at the Monroe Senior Center, 276 Sky River Pkwy.