William Gentry Hancock
William Gentry Hancock III, 90, passed away peacefully on Beaver Creek Farm, South Charleston, Ohio.
The care that he has received from his wife, Ferne, and family the past eight years has been noteworthy.
The youngest son of William Hancock and Malissa (Hodges) Hancock was born on November 26, 1916 in the family home near Rutledge, Tennessee.
Bill's parents, six brothers, and four sisters, preceded him in death. One remaining sister, Frankie Mae McMahan, lives in Dayton, Ohio.
During the depression, Bill moved north to Ohio and eventually became an aluminum aircraft welder working at Wright Patterson AFB. During WWII, he left Wright Patterson and served in Pearl Harbor in the Air Force. When he returned he began a career for 35 years as a sheet metal worker with Budde Sheet Metal, Dayton, Ohio and contractor for B & W Metals, Cincinnati, Ohio servicing the United States, Canada, and the Bahamas. During this time, Bill began to farm a thousand acres at Wright Patterson AFB. He purchased land in Warren County and later Champaign and Clark County. The motivation to return to his first love, cattle farming, enabled him to develop a reputation as a superb cattle breeder. Later, Bill brought to Montgomery County, the first Chianina cattle line focusing his interests in raising Charlois purebred. Bill and his wife Ferne (Rhoades) have been married for sixty-six years.
They are survived by three children and their spouses: Louise (Hancock) and Dr. Dennis Beach of Springfield, Dr. William G. Hancock IV and Carol (Kuhn) Hancock of Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Elaine (Hancock) and Dr. Mark Terrell of Beaver Creek Farm; eight grandchildren: Melissa Beach of Columbus, Lieutenant Matthew Beach, U.S.S. Philadelphia; William G. Hancock V of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Michael Hancock of Berkley, California; Blake Hancock of Bowie, Maryland; Amanda Terrell of Chicago; Marc Terrell and Kathryn Terrell of Beaver Creek Farm.
A service honoring the life of Bill will be held on Friday, November 9, 2007 at 11:00 am in the Fellowship Christian Church, 2301 Valley Loop Rd., Springfield, Ohio. Friends may call one hour prior to the time of service. Burial will be in the Glen Haven Memorial Gardens. The family is being served by the LITTLETON & RUE FUNERAL HOME.
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