Stanford D. Hankinson, age 94 of Wellston, passed away Sunday, June 8, 2014 at 4:28 a.m. at Holzer Medical Center in Jackson, OH.
He was born in Pennsylvania on December 25, 1919, to the late Walt and Vera (Conner) Hankinson. Stanford Darwin Hankinson grew up amongst the farms and coalfields of Chambersville, PA during the Great Depression. After 1933 the Civilian Conservation Corps provided work for Stan in Virginia and New Mexico. At the latter location, he assisted a crew of archaeologists in uncovering primitive Indian relics and other remains at Chaco Canyon National Monument. Eventually Stan returned to Pennsylvania and took a job at the coal mines with his father, a job he would return to later in life. As a 10-year-old child, Stan developed a lifelong passion for bluegrass music; he fondly recalled listening to the Grand Ole Opry regularly and began to pick and sing at age 12. His younger brother, Melvin, began to play as well, and for several years the boys worked as part-time musicians in the Pennsylvania coalfields. Stan reminisced about the times that they played square dances for two dollars a night. As WWII came to an end, Stan and Mel obtained a regular radio program on WDAD in Indiana, PA. They soon acquired sufficient popularity that they began to consider a full-time career in country music. They headed to Nashville and spent several years writing songs, performing at the Grand Ole Opry as “The Kentucky Twins,” and working with the likes of Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, Ernest Tubb, Lester Flatt, & Earl Scruggs. In 1956, Stan and Mel left the music business, with Mel returning to PA and Stan moving to Chillicothe, OH where he spent 18 years working in wholesaling. At the age of 50, Stan won the 45 mile long Heart Fund Bunion Derby, walking from Columbus, OH down US Rt. 23 to the Chillicothe limits. He was the only one to complete the trek unassisted. In 1975, with coal enjoying an economic resurgence and skilled miners much in demand, he went to work for Southern Ohio Coal Company whose three large captive mines fueled the huge Gavin Plant at Cheshire, OH. He retired in 1982 and has spent the intervening years enjoying life with his wife, Betty, at their home outside Wellston, OH, and attending the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Jackson.
He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Betty J. Hankinson, Wellston, OH; son, David Hankinson, the Philippines; daughters Shirley (Keith) Dearth, Kingston, OH; Cindy Hankinson, Chillicothe, OH; Judy Robinson, Chillicothe, OH; Patty (Fred) Beechler, Midlothian, VA; step-daughter, Janice Fox-O’Dell (Lynn Shotts), Wellston, OH; step-son, John (Sharon) Ward, Bardstown, KY; brother, Dale (Mary) Hankinson, Chambersville, PA; sister, Kate Carey, Indiana, PA; as well as several grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nephews, and nieces. Besides his parents, Stan was preceded in death by several brothers and sisters.
In keeping with Stan’s wishes, there will be no services and his body was cremated. Burial will be in the Hamden Cemetery at the convenience of the family under the direction of the McWilliams Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be given in Stan’s name to the Seventh Day Adventist Church, 11184 St. Rt. 93 South, Jackson, Ohio 45640.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.mcwilliams-funeralhome.com