Beverly Alden Hansen

Lieutenant Colonel Beverly Alden (B.A.) Hansen USAF (Ret.), a true American hero, and one of the very last of the "greatest generation", passed peacefully in his home in Winton, CA in the company of his loving family.

B.A.'s birthplace was in a log cabin in Niangua, Missouri 97 years ago, although he liked to claim he was only 39.

He lived his life dedicated to his family, while also serving his country and his community. He served in three wars - WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War - as a proud member of the U.S. Air Corp and then the U.S. Air Force. He tirelessly served his community in many roles, actively participating in the Merced Lion's Club and the Castle Air Museum since its opening in 1981. A lifelong aviator, and "Goodfellow" of "ye Anciente and Secret Order of Quiet Birdmen," he enjoyed sharing his knowledge and experiences with others visiting the Air Museum. He assisted in fund raising efforts whenever needed for both organizations.

B.A. had an interest in aircraft from the age of 15, taking aviation shop in high school. At 17, he attended a machine shop course, which landed B.A. a job with Douglas Aircraft as a high school senior. Wanting to become a pilot, he took the Cadet exam, then entered the Army Air Corps at Luke Field, Arizona. There, B.A. met, and then married the love of his life, Helen G. (Jerri) Sisco on September 27th, 1945.

Lt. Col. Hansen's extensive Air Force career took him to much of the world. In WWII, B.A. was stationed in England, flying P-51s, escorting allied bombers over Germany. When the war ended, he returned to the U.S. and became an advanced instructor in AT-6 aircraft. In 1948, he was stationed in Germany as Provost Marshal, Operations Officer in charge of the Polish Guards and Intelligence Officer. He attended Army Intelligence School to learn the German language. He was also in post war France.

In 1951, he was sent to Korea, flying P-51s to do aerial and ground gunnery, dive bombing and skip bombing. In the 1960s, he again went to war in the Viet Nam theater, flying C-130 intelligence gathering missions out of Japan. Following Viet Nam, he commanded an F-106 group, ensuring it never had a "down" moment. He served his final military years at Castle Air Force Base where he trained personnel in mechanics, and flying the B-52 and KC-135. He was one of 69 instructors who completed one million student hours of training.

During his 27 years in the Air Force, he flew over 20,000 hours in nearly every type of aircraft in existence, including the B-52, KC-135, C-121, C-130, F-86, F-100, F-102, and F-106. His favorite was always the P-51.

After retiring from the Air Force, B.A. and Jerri bought a dry cleaning business in Merced, which kept them very busy. After being away from his family so often during his military years, he was finally able to enjoy his family fully for many wonderful years. B.A. took a home building course and personally built a beautiful home for his family, on 40 acres which he planted with nut trees, living there until his last day. He was very proud of the home he built.

B.A. is survived by his five daughters, Donna Maddox, Atwater, Sharon Nielsen, Modesto, Melinda Montoya, Merced, Melissa Hansen, Santa Barbara, and Kim Rickard, Winton, 10 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and 8 great-great grandchildren. B.A was loved and cherished by his family. He always had a smile on his face and a hug for his girls (his "little girls" as he called each of us). The men were always greeted with a "Hey Hey" and a handshake.

This amazing Patriot will always be "our Hero".

Viewing at Stratford Evans Funeral Home, 1490 B. St., Merced on March 19, 2021 from 4-8 pm; Graveside Service at Winton Cemetery on March 20th at 11:00 a.m.

Please follow CDC guidelines and wear a mask to the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Castle Air Museum or Camp Pacifica payable to California Lion's Camp "Camp Pacifica" 1836 K Street, Merced, CA 95340.