John Van Hanford Jr.

CHARLOTTE - John Hanford Jr., 85, World War II veteran and industry leader in the floral and gift industry, died of heart failure on April 7, 2008, at his home in Charlotte. He had been struggling with cancer for the previous year and a half.

Mr. Hanford was the older brother of U.S. Senator Elizabeth Hanford Dole, who has viewed him as a role model throughout her life.

Mr. Hanford was born March 20, 1923, the son of Mr. John Van Hanford Sr. and Mary Cathey Hanford of Salisbury. He was a descendant of some of the earliest settlers of Rowan and Mecklenburg Counties, including one of the signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence in 1775.

Mr. Hanford spent the first half of his life in Salisbury, until the headquarters of the family business moved to Charlotte, where he has resided since.

He was a 1939 graduate of Boyden High School, where he was distinguished as a class leader and debate champion. He graduated from Duke University in 1943, where he received numerous honors as an outstanding student leader and was first-chair trumpet player in the university band.

Upon graduation, Mr. Hanford enlisted in the Navy and served as an officer in combat aboard two aircraft carriers in the Pacific. He served through major battles, including Iwo Jima, during which his ship, the USS Saratoga, sustained nearly catastrophic damage from kamikaze attacks and torpedoes.

Immediately upon release from the Navy, Mr. Hanford returned to Salisbury to join his father in the family business. During the war, his father had changed the name of the company to J. Van Hanford and Son as an expression of faith that his son would return home safely.

The family business, later to become Hanford's Inc., was started in 1905 by Mr. Hanford's grandfather, as the outgrowth of a hobby growing flowers. Under the leadership of his father and then, during over 50 years with John Hanford Jr. at the helm, the business grew to become the Southeast's largest wholesale florist business, with an expansive greenhouse complex, as well as an international import corporation. The business pioneered international trade in the gift and decorative accessories industry and developed a strong national reputation and product distribution.

Mr. Hanford held state and national leadership positions, including the presidency of the Wholesale Florist and Florist Supplier Association and the presidency of the North Carolina State Florist Association. Mr. Hanford was one of the visionaries, the founder and principal developer of Forest Glen, a beautiful community of homes built on land that was previously in the Hanford family farm.

Mr. Hanford was deeply devoted to his family and lovingly encouraged and advised them through all their life's endeavors. He served in promoting various civic, charitable and religious interests and has for many years been involved with Calvary Church in Charlotte. He had served on the board of Central Piedmont Community College and enjoyed involvement with charities such as the American Red Cross, the Charlotte Symphony and Gethsemane Gardens Children's Center orphanage in Kenya.

Survivors include his wife Bernell "Bunny" Hanford; son Joseph Groome Hanford, who serves with Campus Crusade for Christ in Costa Mesa, Calif., son John Van Hanford III, U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, and his wife, Laura, of Fairfax, Va.; grandchildren Hannah Alyce Hanford, John Van Hanford IV and Amelie Kiersten Hanford of Fairfax; sister Senator Elizabeth Hanford Dole and her husband, former Senator Robert J. Dole of Salisbury and Washington, D.C.; and cousins Anita and Kevin Ryan and Vernon Cathey of Salisbury.

Visitation: The family will receive friends Thursday night from 7-8:30 p.m. at Summersett Funeral Home in Salisbury.

Service: The funeral service for Mr. Hanford will be held on Friday at 2 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in Salisbury. Burial will follow at Chestnut Hill Cemetery.

Published in Salisbury Post from April 9 to April 10, 20