Patrick Jeremiah Jerry Hannan

Patrick Jeremiah “Jerry” Hannan, 98, of Alexandria, VA, died on Monday, October 26, 2020. He was born March 17, 1922, the youngest child of the late Patrick “Frank” Hannan and Lilian Keefe Hannan. He is survived by his wife, Margaret T. "Peggy" Hannan; four children, Cathy (Michael) Hotka, Peg (Kip) Laramie, Marilyn Hannan and Tom (Cheryl) Hannan; and two grandchildren, Katie (Eric) Tomko and John Hotka.

A third-generation resident of Washington, DC, Jerry was the last survivor of his generation. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his sister, Mrs. Mary Mahoney, and six brothers, John, Dr. Francis, William, Archbishop Philip M., Thomas, and Denis.

Jerry attended Immaculate Conception School, St. John’s College High School and received his B.S. in Chemistry and M.S. in Organic Chemistry from Catholic University. Jerry was especially devoted to the Catholic faith, and he attended daily Mass for decades.

Jerry worked for the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution during World War II. After completing his M.S. degree, he conducted research at the USDA Laboratories in Beltsville, MD, and the Engineering Research and Development Laboratories at Fort Belvoir, VA. In 1956, he joined the Naval Research Laboratory from which he retired in 1987. To continue sharing his expertise with younger scientists, he worked part-time at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency until 2006.

Jerry’s greatest joy was his family. He was proud of his siblings, his children, and grandchildren, and he enjoyed spending time with each of them.

Jerry was an active member of the Thomas Edison Toastmasters during his 31 years at NRL. In 2006 he published a book Serendipity, Luck and Wisdom in Research, a topic in which he had been interested throughout his professional career.

He was a passionate baseball fan who grew up going to Griffith Stadium. He was thrilled when baseball returned to DC, and his lifelong dream came true when the Washington Nationals won the World Series in 2019.

A Memorial Mass will be held Monday, November 9th,2020at 10:30 a.m. at St. Ann’s Church, 4001 Yuma St, Washington, DC. The family welcomes friends and relatives to share socially distant greetings and remembrances at St. Ann’s starting at 9:30 a.m. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a tribute gift in his memory to DC Catholic Charities at Catholic Charities, ATTN: Honorary Gifts, 924 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001. Friends are invited to sign the guestbook.