Thomas A. Hanley

Thomas A. Hanley
December 10, 1941 - May 13, 2023

Thomas (Tom) Hanley, a 19-year resident of Sierra Vista, passed away May 13, 2023, at the age of 81. Raised in Mill Valley, California, Tom spent his youth exploring the trails of Marin County, climbing (and falling out of) trees, honing his adventurer skills, and rolling in dirt (which he attributed to the strong immune system he enjoyed most of his life). He was an Eagle Scout at 14, a camp counselor at the Marin Sierra Boy Scout Camp and later as an Explorer, he joined the Sea Scouts where he learned nautical skills while navigating the San Francisco Bay.

In high school, Tom was on the diving team and while not a great diver, he was a “must see” as he approached the diving board with his striking posture and Speedo-clad flair. After graduating from Tamalpais High School, he spent a year touring Europe, registering for the draft at the US Embassy in Spain when he turned 18, and working at a Coca Cola factory in Hanover, Germany when he ran out of money. Tom remained fluent in German and was known to break out in German folk songs whenever the urge struck - in the workplace, on the street, at the store…He occasionally spoke it to better describe a situation or capture a thought.

While at the University of California, Berkeley, Tom performed the heroic lead in the play, Cuchulain. He graduated Phi Beta Kapa (“Back when it was difficult,” he’d say) with a degree in Social Anthropology, a minor in German Literature, a Distinguished Military Graduate designation, and an ROTC commission.

He worked as an Oakland Police Dispatcher during the Bay Area’s 1960s’ civil rights protests, earned “Honor Graduate” at Fort Benning’s Infantry Officer Basic Course and attended the Military Intelligence Officer Basic Course at Fort Holabird, Maryland. Upon completing his Active Duty obligation in Roanoke, Virginia, Tom moved his family to San Rafael, California, where he became a Marin County Deputy Sheriff and was briefly assigned to Angela Davis’s security team.

Upon leaving the Sheriff’s Department, he nurtured his inner filmmaker by writing, directing and co-producing a film that opened at the Sutter Cinema in San Francisco in 1972. The State of California Division of Occupational Safety and Health hired him to conduct criminal investigations of industrial accidents. Over the next 28 years, he held positions as a compliance officer, elevator safety inspector, District Manager in Oakland and Regional Manager in Anaheim for Region 3, managing operations from Long Beach to the Mexican border. He was instrumental in Process Safety Management and during the last two years of his career, oversaw the High Hazard Unit with statewide responsibilities. He also completed 27 years’ service in the Army Reserve.

Tom and his wife retired to Sierra Vista, Arizona where he joined the Retired Public Employees Association, chapter #103, created its newsletter, The Rearguard, which won “Outstanding Chapter Newsletter” of 2010, served as Vice President, and most recently, as Program Chair. He was also a member of the San Pedro Kiwanis Club and the Cochise Gun Club and an avid supporter of the local art community.

Tom was known for his dynamic personality, booming voice, and flamboyant attire, which included cowboy boots, a hat and a purse. Former coworkers remember him as a great leader and friend, an accomplished speaker, possessed of a quick mind and wit, someone who encouraged them and treated everyone with respect, as if they were just as important as the highest ranking individual in the organization. A neighbor remembered him as a “damn good guy.”

Tom considered himself fortunate to have applied his liberal arts degree in both his civilian and military careers. He used to say that despite his bad habits, he always found balance in being physically fit, staying organized and having a career in the Army Reserve and he was pleased that he had successfully imparted these values to his daughter.

Tom - from all of us honored to have known you, thank you for your guidance and inspiration and congratulations to you on a life well-lived; we hope you’re smiling, wholly pleased with your brilliant performance.

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