Harry Gibbons Hancock
Harry Gibbons Hancock, 91, of Winslow passed away peacefully on Dec. 7, 2019, from causes incident to his age. Born in Winslow on May 20, 1928, Harry was the first of four sons gifted to Gene and Edera Hancock. Nelo died as a newborn; Dale and Hal survive their oldest brother.
A visitation is scheduled at 10 a.m. followed by the service at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 17, at the Winslow Arizona Stake Center. Interment will be at the Desert View Cemetery in Winslow. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Winslow Campus of Care.
Harry lived all but a very few years in his hometown. A proud alumnus of Winslow High School, he later studied at the University of Arizona and then served in the US Marine Corps following World War II.
Harry was working for the Arizona Highway Department when he married Merilyn Heard in 1950, and the couple had six children. After a time with the railroad, Harry started his own construction business, and it was under the auspices of Hancock Building, Co. that he and his crew built, repaired, and remodeled dozens of homes, businesses, and churches.
Later, Harry owned and operated Phillips Ready Mix and provided concrete and sand for construction all over northern Arizona. Through the years he was a member of the city Planning and Zoning Commission, the Winslow Memorial Hospital Board, and the Winslow Chapter of Rotary International. An avid fan of community sports, he was a founding member of the WHS Bulldog Boosters and coached the Winslow Little League All-Star baseball team that won the Arizona State Championship in 1971.
Central to Harry’s legacy is his service in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was the bishop of the Winslow Ward for nearly 10 years and his leadership was key during an important era of fundraising and personal sacrifice to build the chapel that now stands on the corner of Kinsley Avenue and Lee Street. He and Merilyn quietly provided financial support to missionaries from Winslow and in Winslow, and many are the congregants and friends who benefited from his wise and kind counsel.
As a member of the Holbrook Stake High Council, Harry often traveled to meet with congregations in the Little Colorado River Basin and on the Hopi and Navajo reservations. With the organization of the Winslow Arizona Stake in 1978, he was called to serve as Stake Patriarch, and as such, was the voice for blessings to hundreds of church members.
One of his favorite assignments was serving at the church ranch near Heber where he got to be “a cowboy for the Lord.” Bulldozing cedars, branding cattle and riding the range with his big, black, handlebar mustache, he earned the alias of “Handsome Harry.” In time the mustache disappeared, but the moniker did not, and it eventually became his name of choice when introducing himself.
Left a widower in 1993, Harry later married Diana Jean Heard Hammit, deepening the alliance between the Winslow and Phoenix families, and turning Aunt Diana into Grandma Di. Fond are the memories of gathering at the red brick house in Bushman Acres—sharing the food, stories, and poetry (and the barn!) at Grandpa’s.
After Diana’s passing, Harry continued to attend WHS football and basketball games, church meetings and other family gatherings for as long as he was able. He became a resident of the Winslow Campus of Care in the summer of 2017, and his children are grateful for the kindness and professionalism afforded him there.
Harry was preceded in death by both Merilyn and Diana; daughter-in-law, Maria Hancock; and by Diana’s son, Brent Hammit. He is survived by his brothers, his children, many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Harry and Merilyn’s children are Charlie Hancock and wife Peggy, Elaine Larsen and husband Marshall, Joe Hancock and wife Leonie, Kaye Ricks and husband Mathew, John Hancock and wife Denise, and Virginia Hatch and husband Maury; Diana’s child is Lissa Hammit, with partner Salley Tresethen.
Greer’s Mortuary of Winslow handled the arrangements.
