Menan Clyde Hanz

menan hanz
On Wednesday, December 16, 2020, Menan Clyde Hanz, 81, of New Braunfels, passed away a bit before sunrise in the very same house in which he was born after a decade’s long fight with kidney cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Our dad was born on a quiet afternoon, Thursday, February 9, 1939. This generation was known as the Silent Generation which perfectly described his nature; reserved, private, frugal, and a whole lot of ‘quiet’. He was named after the doctor who delivered him, Menan Clyde Hagler. The story goes that there are four other local fellas who enjoyed the same namesake. The mid-wife who helped with the delivery was his grandmother, Hilda Becker (née Rosenberg). A 1957 graduate of New Braunfels High School, he went into the US Marine Corps and while stationed at Camp Pendleton met fellow Marine, Priscilla Carlson of Portland, Oregon. Both were instructors for the US Marine Corps and married there in 1961. The couple later moved to his home of New Braunfels where he went to work in a life-long career for San Antonio based Southwest Research Institute. He liked working there so much they actually pushed him out the door after 46 years and insisted he retire, something he was proud of as he wanted to work as long as he could. His career at SWRI resulted in many technology patents used by NASA and the US Air Force. He specialized in designing biomedical devices for things such as blood pressure monitoring and safety for aerospace use, an electronic Braille device that would write out Braille for a stationary finger instead of having to have a Braille printed book, and numerous others. His knowledge of electronics was enjoyed not only professionally, but also in hobbies where he would hand build stereos and amplifiers. He also held a First Class (later, General) Radiotelephone Operator License. His other hobbies and interests included astronomy, computer technology, woodworking, gardening, beekeeping, and making wine using harvests like mesquite, agarita, mustang grapes, and loquats. He was well known for his persimmon bread made from the fruit off the persimmon tree planted by his grandparents. Menan was kind and especially loved helping people whenever and wherever he could. He would always greet people with a smile and hearty handshake. He had a dry sense of humor and displayed that humor and smile even during the late stages of Alzheimer’s. Our dad did not like to get out too much. That was part of his quiet nature and need for solitude, that Silent Generation. Though the answer was already known, we would jokingly ask if he wanted to go to Wurstfest and he would always reply with a snicker, “No. I have a perfect record, I’ve never been.” His surrounding family made up for his missing Wurstfest. One thing he taught his family is that if something needs to be done or fixed, always use the correct tool and do it or fix it right the first time. Over the years his tools were always borrowed, much to his frustration when they were not put back in the exact same place they came from. He also had tools from his father and grandfather which seems to point to those fine men also sharing the same frugality and belief of having the right tool for the job. Menan was a man of strong Christian faith and was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1965. He had an extensive knowledge of the Bible and enjoyed sharing that knowledge. Menan is survived by his four children, Mark Hanz of Houston, Stephanie Hanz of New Braunfels, Aaron Hanz of New Orleans, and Laurel Hanz of New Braunfels; and by Mark’s daughter, Menan’s granddaughter, Ashly Ocanas and her husband Austin, both of Cypress, Texas. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Joan Hanz (née Henk) and his nephew Brandan Hanz, both of New Braunfels; by cousins Ronald Becker of Pflugerville, Jerry Becker of Ennis, and Allan Becker and wife Linda (née Barbeck) of Austin; sister-in-law Harriet Deary (née Carlson) and nieces Tamia and Hasina Deary of Portland, Oregon; and brother-in-law Howard Carlson and nephews Eric and Isaac Carlson, of Portland, Oregon. Menan was predeceased by the mother of his children, Priscilla Shou (née Carlson) in 2002; his father Arthur Hanz (1952) and his mother Cleo Hanz (née Becker) in 1983; brother Randall Hanz (2007); aunt Edna Cullinane (née Becker) in 1993; uncle Wesley Becker (2000) and aunt Lynette (née Knape) in 2008; cousin James Kenneth Cullinane (2020); wife of Ronald Becker, Carolyn (née George) in 2001; wife of Jerry Becker, Ronda (née Bates) in 2014; and nephew Matthew Carlson (2015). Menan had a keen interest in the Hanz family history and enjoyed genealogy, something he instilled in his children. The Hanz family is one of the original settlers of New Braunfels in the days of the Republic of Texas. Settling ancestor, Christian Hanz, who arrived in 1844, is the great-great grandfather of Menan making Menan a 5th generation person in an ever-expanding family. Although Menan did not meet every person in the family, he knew who most were through the genealogy studies. It is impossible to mention all who he knew and appreciated, but know he cared and enjoyed all of you who survive him, even if he did not toss back a beer with you at Wurstfest. As Covid-19 has placed restrictions on gathering in groups, the family will host an online memorial service which anyone may attend and share a story. The memorial will be on Zoom on Sunday, December 27, 2020 at 2:00 PM. For details, please email the family at menan@hanz.net and we will provide access information directly. In lieu of flowers or plants, please consider a tax-deductible donation in memory of Menan Hanz to the Alzheimer’s Association. Research on Alzheimer’s has a long way to go and every donation helps. Their website for the San Antonio region is https://www.alz.org/sanantonio?set=1 then click on Donate and follow the easy instructions to donate in memory of our dad.

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  1. Dad was not a big outdoors type. He took my brother and I fishing one day, on the Comal River. Back in those days the perch were plentiful. He taught us how to bait the hook, tempt the fish, and how to hook it. On this fishing expedition, I caught somewhere around a dozen, my brother about half a dozen, my dad only one. He never took us again. Not sure why.

  2. Menan is a nice person to working with at Southwest Research Institute. He loves to help others. Menan is probably the first generation of IT person at Southwest Research Institute. I remember every time we had computer issues, he always came by to find the solution for us. As an IT support, I remember he often had to come to the Institute very early or stay late to get the computer maintenance done before other people uses the computers in the regular working hours. At the end of every medical device projects, he also helped us to back up the project files to the optical discs according to the medical device quality system. Attached a picture of the project discs with Menan’s signature on that back in 2006. Besides working, I remember Menan’s famous persimmon bread he brought to work every year to share with the colleagues. As I won’t forget those tasty bread, now I planted two persimmon trees in my own back yard. We will remember Menan. Dr. Jian Ling, a colleague of Menan at Southwest Research Institute

  3. I remember crawling from my bed to hide under Marks crib during a thunder storm,only to come upon two bare feet,looking up I see a stern faced Menan with his arm outstretched pointing to my bed.Never could figure out how he knew when I was crawling so carefully.He took me to show me an earthen dam,first i had ever seen or knew about,I was a little worried but he convinced me it was safe.Also at that visit he taught me about safety around fire ants,my first encounter.Also he was the first to show me how to identify various star constellations and how to navigate by the stars,took me awhile to figure that part out. He was always willing to give sound advice,based on his knowledge of the scriptures.I always appreciated that.Seems like all this happened just moments ago,I have thought of him many times when looking at the stars or going by a dam.He always treated me well and with respect.


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