William Franklin Hankins

He is survived by his wife, Sarah Glynn Hankins, and his two children, David Hankins and Amanda Hankins Kirk, as well as his grandchildren, Holden Vonseutter and his two great-grandchildren, Robert Colson Mooney and Oliver Alexander Fountain.

He is preceded in death by his son, William Franklin Hankins, Jr.

William was born in 1938 in Grenada, Mississippi to Ruby Evelyn Crawford and William Bilbo Hankins. He graduated from Greenwood High School and from there went to Mississippi State University, where he was a Pi Kappa Alpha (Pike) and truly bled maroon and white. Afterward, he went on to Southern Methodist University Graduate School to earn his degrees that were later used in banking.

Building on prior success, Bill entered the commercial/industrial real estate industry where he rose to the top of his profession. He was President of the Mississippi Commercial Association of Realtors and was their Realtor of the Year. Bill's empathy and effort on behalf of his clients and dedication to the betterment of the Mississippi Realtor Association was well known. He was particularly proud of being the Co-Founder of the Mississippi Commercial Real Estate Exchange website that will benefit brokers, salespeople, and the general public for years to come. Earlier career experiences include manager of area and industrial development at MP&L (Entergy), director of economic development and national accounts for Mississippi’s largest financial institution, president and chairman of the Bank of Jackson board, chief administrative officer and chairman of the executive committee of one of Mississippi’s largest banks, owner and managing director of an advanced cellular technology group that was pioneer in broadband wireless, and Vice President and general manager at WorldCom Broadband wireless data and video services.

Family was the most important thing to him, and he will be missed every day.

A visitation for William will be held Saturday, January 4, 2025 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Parkway Funeral Home, 1161 Highland Colony Pkwy, Ridgeland, Mississippi 39157, followed by a funeral service at 3:00 PM.