Wayne Riley Hanks

Wayne was born August 9, 1944, in Los Angeles, California, to Riley Clay and Nannie Lee Hanks. He passed from this life on Friday, December 18, 2020, after a lengthy, arduous battle with kidney failure.

Wayne is survived by his wife, Betsy Hanks, and her two children, Troy Sage and Korie Sage; his son, Michael Wayne Hanks, and wife, Kimberly, their children, Miquel Iboa (Omar and soon-to-be-born, Myla); son, Joshua Michael Hanks, and wife, Kaylee; his daughter, Shirah Lynn, and her children, Cassidy Jones, Ryan Jones, Bella Ruiz, Muira Ruiz, and Olivia Ruiz; his brother, Charles (Linda) Hanks; sisters, Sarah (Max) Whittaker, Carrol Meade, and Joyce (Robert) Grissom. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Donald Clay Hanks.

Wayne loved family and friends and the time he could spend with them. He was deeply loved by his family and he was the center of the universe to many of them. Wayne was mischievous and liked to kid with whomever he could.  He loved his job as a bus driver at the INL and retired in 2017.  He often stated he wished he could go back to work.

Wayne lived a lot of life in his 76 years. He drove long-haul trucks before working at the INL, and drove through almost every state in the nation, and was able to experience the beauty of this country.  He was a proud member of the ATU (Teamsters) and served as both Treasurer and as Vice President. He also received a “Million Mile Award” for safe driving of at least one million miles. The miles he drove long-haul were not included in this total.

Wayne married Betsy on March 5, 1995. They were less than three months away from celebrating 26 years of marriage.

When not working, Wayne and Betsy enjoyed camping and fishing together and with friends, often at their favorite Swan Valley camping location whenever possible. Wayne loved playing pinochle, cribbage, dominos, and other games.

His family is planning a private burial.  His passing has created a huge hole in the lives of many, and he will be missed by those who had the opportunity to know him.

A celebration of life will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, July 10, 2021, at Holden Ranch, 1694 Palisades Creek Road.