Joseph C. Hank

Joseph C. Hank, 91, of Ocean Springs died Tuesday, May 25, 2010, in Ocean Springs. Mr. Hank was a native of northeast Kansas and attended Central Business College in Kansas City before entering the U.S. Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program in 1943. After his discharge from active duty, Mr. Hank attended Kansas University and continued to serve in the Air National Guard Reserve. He then worked as a systems engineer for International Business Machines (IBM) and later for Amoco Oil Company in Chicago, Ill., retiring in 1980 after 28 years with Amoco. He relocated to Ocean Springs to spend his retirement years and remained there until his death. He was an active member of the Gulf Park Estates Volunteer Fire Department, the St. Andrews Men's Golf Association, and Score, serving as a small business counselor for SBA. He was also a member of St. John's Episcopal Church in Ocean Springs, Elks Lodge #2501 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Mr. Hank was preceded in death by his first wife, Virginia, who died in 1973; and his second wife, June, who died in 2002, as well as his son-in-law, Larry Jones. He is survived by two daughters, Mary Jo Jones of Ocean Springs and Judith Lee Braun and her husband, Don, of Chicago, five grandchildren, Laura Jones, Michael Jones, Jennifer Braun Finney, Matthew Braun, and Bethany Braun; six great-grandchildren, Cayla Jones, Tyler Jones, Jared Jones, Cassie Finney, Josie Finney, and Maddie Finney; and his niece, Sarah Hank Juilfs, and her husband, Butch. Services will be held Saturday, May 29, at 1 p.m. at St. Johns Episcopal Church in Ocean Springs, with visitation beginning one hour prior to the service. Burial will be in Biloxi National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials be made in Mr. Hank's name to the American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org, the American Heart Association at www.americanheart.org or the Hospice of Light. The Ocean Springs Chapel of Bradford O'Keefe Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.