John A. Hannah

John was a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army during WWII and saw action in the Philippines where he was wounded on two separate occasions. John was awarded a Purple Heart with cluster, The Asian Pacific Campaign Medal with three clusters, a good conduct medal, A Presidential Unit Citation, The Liberation Ribbon with two Bronze Stars, and the WWII Victory Medal.

John began his law enforcement career with the City of Bakersfield. He later moved to Merced where he took a position with the Merced Police Department in 1952. John retired from the Merced Police Department in 1979, having attained the rank of Lieutenant. During his years at MPD, John was a Firearm Instructor and also taught Administration of Justice Classes at Merced College for many years.

After his retirement from the Police department, John worked for McLane Pacific for 13 years, retiring a second time in 1997.

John was an avid runner and continued running well into his senior years. He was a former member of the Merced Track Club and was most proud of having run six marathons in a single year. He was also a past member of Club Mercedes.

John is survived by Betsy, his beloved wife of 52 years, and two sons, Bruce (Roseville, CA) and Johnny of Florida.

The family would like to extend a special thanks to Elvira Montes for helping to care for John.

A memorial Mass in Celebration of John’s life will be held on Thursday, January 9, 2014 at 10:00am at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, 671 E Yosemite Ave, Merced, CA under the direction of Father Bert Mello.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to St. Patrick’s Parish, 671 E Yosemite Ave, Merced, CA 95348 or the Merced Police Officer’s Association, 611 W 22nd St, Merced, CA 95340 in memory of John.