Robert Keith Hanke was born September 2, 1940 in Newton Kansas to Irvin and Katherine Hanke. He was welcomed home by older brother Larry Joe. Robert always said his childhood consisted of fishing in the nearby river and spending some of each summer at his aunt's farm.
At age 17 he joined the Army. He could recount many fun times when he was stationed in Germany. He however did not enjoy camping or jumping out of helicopters with a 30-pound radio on his back, so when his 2 years were up, he got out of the Army and joined the Air Force. He proudly served 21 years, mostly with the 4000th Aerospace Application Group.
As a retiree, he enjoyed reading, TV, eating out and hockey, especially the Colorado Avs and the Seattle Kraken. Bob (as he was known by everyone except his family) passed away peacefully at his home on October 12th after a massive stroke. He is survived by his wife of 58 years LeeAnn, son Aaron and wife Tami, son David, granddaughter Amanda, and dogs Buster and Willie.
In lieu of flowers, if one wishes to honor Bob's memory, a donation to either Hospice of Spokane or Cancer Northwest is suggested.
