William L. “Bill” Hanna, 91, of Damariscotta, passed away on Feb. 9 after a long and productive life. His beloved wife Anita had passed away on Aug. 22, 2012. Having never been apart on their anniversary for 70 years of marriage, they were reunited in Heaven to celebrate their 71st wedding anniversary on Valentine’s Day of this year.
Born to William B. and Alison Hanna in Foxborough, Mass., where he lived until just prior to retirement, Bill graduated from Foxborough High School in 1939. His brother, James, and his family reside in the Huntington Beach, Cal. area.
An industrious boy, Bill held various jobs during the Depression: as a pin boy at a local bowling alley, washing windows for stores in Foxborough, and picking blueberries to sell to his grandmother, who made blueberry pies to serve at Hanna’s Restaurant, which she owned.
He enjoyed cars and owned several old Model T Fords before getting his driver’s license, experiencing many adventures with his young friends, driving the old cars through the woods and fields.
Growing up with an entrepreneurial father, Bill worked at his father’s garage repairing Packards and Hudsons and cars of that era. As a young man, he rebuilt a V-16 engine for one of these long-fendered beauties.
A toolmaker by trade, he was employed by N. Sandberg and Son of Attleboro, Mass., manufacturer of tools, dies, and metal stampings. He then worked for Bugbee and Niles Company of North Attleboro, producers of jewelry, where he did complicated tool and die work on jewelry pieces. He also invented and patented a machine to make fine mesh for jewelry. He moved on to Polaroid and built prototypes for Dr. Land’s top secret projects like the SX-70 instant camera and the new ID camera used for photo licenses, painstakingly developing high-speed, precision mechanisms such as shutters, mechanical film packs and movie cameras for which he was awarded more patents.
On Feb. 14, 1942, Bill married Anita C. Sandberg of Attleboro, Mass. Within a few years, the young couple built a Cape Cod style home in Foxborough with their own hands, where they raised their six children. Family was a priority, and Bill built a grand playground in their back yard, taught them to sail, took boating trips from Hyannis to the nearby islands on their boat, the Happy Hanna, and had picnics at the local state park.
He was gentle and kind, and shared his love of nature and animals. His faith was paramount. He read Bible stories to his children and involved his family in Sunday school, youth groups and Christian summer camps. He helped to found a camp in Maine and served as a board member and treasurer.
Just prior to taking early retirement, Bill and Anita lived for a year in Boston where they attended the Old North Church. He developed an interest in the history of Boston and the Freedom Trail and joined the Charles River Sailing Club.
Upon retirement from Polaroid, Bill and Anita built a kit log cabin on Damariscotta Lake, where they enjoyed swimming, boating, and hosting “summer camp” for their grandchildren. They volunteered at Owls Head Transportation Museum. When rebuilding an antique vehicle, Bill fashioned the unavailable parts, making the patterns to have the item cast, so he could machine them in his shop in his log cabin. He restored his own 1919 Chevy, which won many ribbons, and took it on many outings with family and friends. He dubbed it the “smile-maker,” as it never failed to get a wave and smile from onlookers.
He served as an officer in the Bunker Hill Grange and was a faithful member of Christ Church in Damariscotta.
The couple relocated to Schooner Cove, where they enjoyed their view overlooking the Damariscotta River.
Knowledgeable and accomplished, Bill was an avid reader of science, health topics and current events, and was a humble, devout man, reading the Bible every day. He was quietly generous to charities that assisted orphans, the poor and hungry, and those that shared the Gospel around the world.
He is survived by his brother, Jim; children, Beverly Charles, Bill R. Hanna, Cynthia Todd, Jon Hanna, and Mark Hanna; 10 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
