Even camping, Herbert “Neil” Hanson preferred to wear slacks and a tie.
“He was kind of a little neat freak,” said his friend, Lee Mellotte. “He always looked spectacularly nice.”
On a trip to the ocean, wearing a sport coat and tie, Hanson’s slacks got soaked in the surf, but it didn’t bother him.
“He was wet to his knees, but he was camping away,” Mellotte said. “He was having a great time.”
Hundreds of former students remember Hanson, a barber by trade, who owned numerous shops and schools. He and his wife, Sharon Hanson, opened Crown School of Hair Design in 1969 in Everett and for 20 years trained barbers and cosmetologists who practice throughout Washington.
Neil Hanson, 65, who had been ill for four years, died from heart and kidney disease Dec. 5 at his Shoreline home.
Many of his former students remember that the caring, intelligent man was also a famous prankster.
His daughter, Kim, came home from a date and screamed when she discovered a mannequin head stuffed under the covers of her bed. When a neighbor raved about how rabbit manure on his peppers would surely produce huge plants, Hanson would sneak over at night and leave gigantic peppers.
The neighbor was thrilled about the miracle of manure, until he caught on to the Hanson prank.
Neil Hanson was born in Little Falls, Minn., and was raised in Snohomish. He later moved to Lynnwood, where he met his true love, Sharon. They married in 1963.
Though he loved to teach, his passion was working behind the chair, where he could spend time telling jokes with customers. Even when he was ill, he had his wife drive him to cut hair at the home of an Alzheimer’s patient. As Hanson became frail, he would lean against a wall and do the trims.
In his spare time, Hanson loved to fish, read Civil War books, travel with the family, watch the history and food channels and barbecue ribs. His grandchildren were the joys of his life, his family said. He is survived by his wife, Sharon; son Matt; daughter Kim and son-in-law Jeff Schmidt and their children, Savannah and Skylar; sister Debbi and brother-in-law Dave Malean; and aunt Dorothy Hanson.
Those who knew Neil and Sharon Hanson well were not surprised to find lollipops amongst flowers on his casket. Their favorite song was “Lollipops and Roses.”
They met through a mutual friend, and Sharon Hanson said she liked the humorous man who treated her well and showered her with flowers and little notes. His barbershop customers enjoyed the jokes and atmosphere in Hanson’s shops.
“He loved the people contact,” his son said. “He had such a big impact on Snohomish County.”
And he had his quirks. Mellotte said Hanson would never fill up his gas tank.
“He didn’t care about the money,” Mellotte said. “He just didn’t want to give it all to one station.”
On a trip to Yellowstone, his friend said Hanson was pulling a trailer behind his Chrysler 300.
“He would put in $5 worth of gas, drive 10 miles, and put in another $5. It was just ridiculous, but it was the principle of the thing.”
Mellotte said he never saw his friend wear blue jeans until he was 55 years old, but Hanson didn’t change all of his habits.
Hanson always wore a three-piece suit to paint or mow the lawn.
Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com.
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