Charles Wesley Hanna, 67, died suddenly at his home in Provo from heart complications the morning of August 10, 2023.

He was born on October 15, 1955 to Charles Wray and Ardith Mae Hanna in Butte, Montana where his father was attending the Montana School of Mines. The family would travel a great deal throughout Charles' youth to follow his father's career opportunities in metallurgical engineering. Consequently, Charles spent his teen years growing up in Australia.

Charles was precocious at his studies and skipped grades as he transitioned to school in Australia. Charles was accepted into Brigham Young University at the age of 16. At 17 he was a teaching assistant in the department of philosophy. He majored in political science and minored in philosophy, receiving his Bachelor's Degree in 1977.

While at BYU, Charles met and fell in love with Wyoming native Kae Loy Turner. The couple would be married in the Idaho Falls Temple and go on to have six children. They would divorce in 2001 but be reconciled and remarry in 2011.

Also at BYU, Charles was called to serve a two-year proselytizing mission in South Korea for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He would later become disaffected with the Church and considered his two years of missionary service as one of the biggest regrets of his life.

Early in his academic career, Charles took an aptitude test to see for which job he would be best suited. The bright student was told he could do anything - except go into law. That pronouncement would drive him to study law nonetheless, just to show that he could be successful in this field as well.

Charles earned his Juris Doctorate degree from the J. Reuben Clark Law School in 1981 and practiced law in Utah for more than 40 years. His areas of law expertise included corporate and business, bankruptcy, real estate and construction, and personal injury and product liability. One of the high points in his career included arguing cases before the Utah Supreme Court.

History was also a passion for Charles, especially military history.

Charles' favorite pastime was to visit the grave sites of those who have received the Medal of Honor, the highest award given in the U.S. military for acts of bravery above the call of duty. After sometimes exhausting searches locating the grave marker, Charles would read out loud the military citation denoting the soldier's brave acts, plant an American flag at the grave, take a few moments in silence to thank them, and promise them as long as he was alive they would never be forgotten. When Charles found some of these men's grave markers had deteriorated or faded, he would coordinate for government-issued Medal of Honor headstones to be placed instead.

Following his passion for military history, Charles published two books on Medal of Honor recipients: African American Recipients of the Medal of Honor published in 2002 through McFarland and Co. and Gettysburg Medal of Honor Recipients published in 2010 through Bonneville Books.

In the past few years, Charles returned to school to earn a Master's Degree in Military History from Southern New Hampshire University. He had recently retired from law to devote himself full-time to research and writing. He said this was his ideal life, and we mourn that he didn't get more time to follow this path.

Charles is survived by his wife, Kae Loy Hanna; children: Charles Wesley Hanna Jr. (Abigail), Dr. Allison Hanna (Stephen Christensen), Danae Lilyquist (Gary), Kjersti Ertmann (Jay), Chelsee Hanna, and Paul Geoffrey Hanna; mother: Ardith Hanna; sisters Dariece Radford, Karlene Eliason, Gerolyn Thatcher; brother Paul Douglas Hanna; and six grandchildren who he adored.

Charles was preceded in death by his father, Charles Wray Hanna.

A celebration of life is planned on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 at the Walker Sanderson Funeral Home, located at 646 E. 800 N. in Orem, from 6 to 8 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the Hanna Family asks that you support a pair of charities important to Charles for improving the lives of people around the world: Heifer International and the International Rescue Committee.

Per Hanna family tradition, we close with a Harry Potter quote - this one from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:

"You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us? You think that we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble? Your father is alive in you, Harry, and shows himself plainly when you have need of him."