John “Jack” Hancock, 86, of rural Gilby, ND, died Sunday, August 10 at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, ND.
John William Hancock, known to his friends as Jack, was born November 7, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois, the eldest child of Vernon and Eva (Hawkins) Hancock. He attended elementary school in Cicero, Illinois until the age of 9, when his family moved back to the family farm in rural Gilby, ND. He attended Orr Elementary School and Inkster High School, graduating in 1956. Following graduation he attended the University of North Dakota for one semester. He then volunteered for the military draft and entered the United States Army in1957. He received his basic training at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. He was stationed in Bremerhaven, Germany, where he met Brigitte Hart. They were married on January 20, 1960, in Brooklyn, New York. Upon his honorable discharge in 1959, they returned to farm life in Gilby. They had two children.
During his life long tenure as a farmer, Jack functioned as the following: master curler, sheep shepherd and shearer, cattleman, butcher of hogs and chickens, electrician and plumber, home builder, diesel mechanic, welder, builder and repairer of fences, snow removal expert, truck driver and heavy machinery operator, thrower of 5000 bales of hay, helper to neighbors and friends, expert grower of wheat, durum, barley, sunflowers and edible beans and eventually, fount of knowledge and wisdom.
Jack was involved in many community activities. He was a member of the Inkster Presbyterian Church, later transferring to the Forest River Community Church, the Gilby Masonic Lodge and the Gilby Lions Club, served on the Wheatfield Township Board of Supervisors, was a member of the Farm Service Agency County Committee, and importantly, a member of the Agassiz Water Users Board of Directors for 46 years (1976-2019). At the state level, he was a member of the Executive Board of the North Dakota Rural Water Systems Association for 18 years, serving twice as President, and garnering three very prestigious awards: first, in 1996, the Friend of Rural Water Award; then, in 2015, the Clark Cronquist Waterline Award; finally in 2019, the highest honor given by the North Dakota Rural Water Systems Association, the Commodore Award, given by Gov. Doug Burgum.
Jack was preceded in death by his of wife 57 years, Brigitte, in 2017; parents Vernon, in 1981 and Eva Hancock, in 1998; his mother and father in law, Rev. Gunther, in 1999, and Erika Hart, in 1986; his brother in law Charlie Betts, in 2022; niece Shelley Johnson, in 2021; and nephew Christopher Hart, in 2011.
He is survived by his daughter Vanessa, of Park River; son John Jr., of Gilby; a sister, Bonnie Betts, of Chandler Arizona; and many nephews and nieces: Todd Machovsky, Phoenix, Arizona, Jeff Machovsky, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Matthias Thulesius, Germany, Hans-Peter Hansen, Wallingford, Connecticut, Harrison Hansen, Wallingford, Connecticut, Blake Machovsky, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Andrew Johnson, Aurora, Colorado, Karin Thulesius, Bremen, Germany, Nicole (Hans) Hansen, Wallingford, Connecticut, and Alexa Johnson, of Colorado; sisters in law Karin Thulesius, Bremen, Germany, Christiane Hart, Peine, Germany, and many cousins.
Jack was a great man whose greatness consisted in being kind to neighbors, congenial, helpful, humble, and just being a listener. He will be badly missed by all who knew him.
Visitation will be held 5-7 pm Monday, August 25 at Bakke Funeral Home in Larimore. Funeral Services will be at 11 am at the Gilby Presbyterian Church. Visitation will be held one hour prior. Donations to charity of choice. Interment will be in Prairie Home Cemetery, Gilby.
You’re with Mom again. We’ll see you later.