George C. Hanks, Sr.

George C. Hanks, Sr. passed away from this earthly life peacefully and with family at his side on October 27, 2024. He was born in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, on July 22, 1932, to George Hanks and Henrietta Hanks (née Jones). When George was very young, he moved to Lake Charles where he graduated from W.O. Boston High School in 1951. After graduation, he joined the United States Air Force and, after completing his training as a radio intercept operator at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, he was deployed overseas to the Far East. A proud Korean War veteran, he was disabled during his service and received an honorable discharge.

George attended Southern University where he received his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry in 1961. While in college he participated in the peaceful lunch counter sit-ins for civil rights in Baton Rouge which resulted in the expulsion of several of his fellow students. Before graduation George met the love of his life, Quenola Reese. They were soon married and started a beautiful family together. After receiving his master’s degree in education supervision from McNeese State University, he began a career spanning over thirty-five years as the first African American laboratory chemist for Firestone (now Bridgestone) Synthetic Rubber Company in Lake Charles. Prior to his retirement from Firestone, George went back to school again, this time to earn his Master of Social Work degree from Louisiana State University in 1986.

A man of immense faith and devotion, George was an amazing husband to Quenola and wonderful father to his children and grandchildren, always putting God and family first in his life. He was faithfully married to Quenola for forty-nine years until her death. George never met a stranger, always greeting everyone he met with a smile and treating them to a few of his favorite phrases in Kouri-Vini (Louisiana Creole). In George’s later years when asked how he was doing, he would often respond with a big smile: “Konm si konm ça konm shœ shin shœ shat!” He will always be remembered for his teachable moments, those memorable and colorful quotes he collected during his life and that he loved sharing with family and friends to explain almost every life situation. George’s words of wisdom impacted the lives of everyone who heard them.

George was truly a renaissance man. Whether it was learning how to fly an airplane, rebuilding a Volkswagen Beetle engine, installing a forty-foot tower behind the house for his ham radio rig, building a cabinet, or creating a new tool for a specific task around the house, George never faced a challenge that he could not overcome. He was a lifelong student, always curious and wanting to learn more about the world around him. He was also a voracious reader, especially on the topics of religion, science, and sociology.

As a wise man once said: “A man’s life is not measured by the number of physical possessions that he gathers during life, those baubles and beads that are soon forgotten, but his life is measured by the impact that he had on the lives of those he leaves behind.” By this standard, George departed from this earthly life rich beyond measure and he lives

on through the lives of everyone he touched. As George would say, “I’m in high cotton now!” Yes, you are, George, yes you are.

George was preceded in death by his wife Quenola Reese Hanks, his brother Floyd Hanks, parents George and Henrietta Hanks, his stepfather Sostain Courville, his maternal grandparents James Jones and Mary Jones (née Anderson), and his brothers-in-law and sister-in-law.

He is survived by his sons George C. Hanks, Jr. (Stacey) of Houston, Texas, and Kendrick J. Hanks (Lillie) of Dallas, Texas, his grandchildren Kendrick J. Hanks, Jr. and Alyse A. Hanks of Dallas, Texas, sisters-in-law Thelma Brown of Houston, Texas and Evelyn Hanks of Lake Charles, Louisiana and a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A time of gathering for family and friends will be Monday, November 4, 2024, from 9:00am until 10:00am at Johnson Funeral Home, 4321 Lake St. Lake Charles, Louisiana 70605. A time of Memorials and Reflections will be from 10:00am until 11:00am with a burial service with military honors to follow at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cemetery.