HANNA,
Lois
(Maiden Name: Wilbanks)
Kingman Daily Miner, Kingman, AZ -
Published on September 7, 2014 -
Longtime resident Lois Hanna passed away quietly in her sleep at the
home of her daughter Kimberly on Monday, Aug. 25, 2014.
Lois was the eldest child of Hobart Dunnigan "Doc" Wilbanks and Velva
Lois Bruce Wilbanks, born Oct. 8, 1932, in Eagar, Ariz. Lois grew up on
farms and ranches in Arizona, New Mexico and California, and graduated
high school in Barstow, Calif., where she was a drum majorette. A high
point of Lois' senior year was performing in the Tournament of Roses
Parade in Pasadena, Calif.
Lois came to Kingman in 1949 when her parents bought a motor court on
Route 66 and later built the Siesta Motel. She married Kenneth Dale
Hanna in 1953 and the couple had three children.
Lois enjoyed working evenings in several restaurants - most notably the
Holiday House and the Jade - before opening her own place in the mid-
'60s. Lois and her husband Dale built the Rio Colorado Drive-In Cafe in
Bullhead City from the ground up. The Rio Colorado featured one of the
first drive-thru windows in town and was known for great burgers and
tacos. The couple also built one of the first homes in the Hualapai
Mountains together with friends and family.
An active member of the Mohave County Republican Central Committee, Lois
worked for Sam Steiger during his terms in Congress and campaigned for
Sen. Barry Goldwater's 1964 bid for the presidency. She was a founding
member of Kingman Republican Women and a member of the Order of the
Eastern Star.
Lois loved history, travel and antique quilt shows. Along with her
husband, she toured much of the country in the couple's motor home and,
more recently, enjoyed exploring historic towns, old missions, museums
and pueblos throughout New Mexico. Her first passport in 2010 took her
to San Jose, Del Cabo, and Todos Santos, Mexico.
She is survived by a brother, H. D. Wilbanks II, of Waco, Texas; her
children Evelynn "Eve" Hanna, Kimberly Hanna and Mike Hanna of Kingman;
eight grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.