Hanna was born in Sheridan, Wyoming on January 15, 1926. She spent her childhood in the coal mining town of Monarch, Wyoming, often referring to herself as "the coal miner's daughter". Her father, Paul Kawulok, a Polish immigrant who died from Black Lung disease, was an accomplished violinist. Prior to coming to the United States, he had a band that played on passenger ships between Europe and the United States until he decided to stay in America where he played in the Philharmonic Symphony for many years. Her mother, Mary Tkach, was a descendent of Czechoslovakian immigrants. Hanna didn't inherit the musical genes her father had, in-fact he told her to stick with her art and leave music to her siblings; Ethel Taylor of Redding, California, Joan Green of Sheridan, Wyoming, Paul Kawulok of Story, Wyoming, and Verna Olson of Redding, California, who are all still living. Hanna and her family would often get together with her sisters and brother and her ten nieces and nephews for a Kawulok family get together at her parents' house in Redding where her mother would cook a feast of polish food, homemade donuts and poppy seed rolls, her specialty.

Hanna was a creative abstract and realist artist having been awarded many first-place prizes for her artwork throughout her life. She was always crafting something unique while raising her two children in Hayward, California; Mark (Gail) Stanton of Reno, Nevada, and Kory (Mark) Welch of Ukiah, California. She loved the four grandsons her children afforded her; Nicholas/Nick (Milla) and Christopher/Chris Stanton of Reno and Scott (Dominique) and Ryan Welch (Liz) of Ukiah and her one and only great-grandchild, Savannah Welch, Scott and Dominique's 3-year old. She leaves behind many beautiful pieces of art for her family members to cherish and remind them of her.

In addition to her mother and father, Hanna is preceded in death by her husband of 49 years, the father of her children, Kenneth B. Stanton, who grew up on a farm once lived on by Grover Washington near Diamond, Missouri. Kenneth spent his working career at Lockheed Martin Aerospace Company (It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995) in Sunnyvale, California; working in the Polaris missile and Space Shuttle programs. During that time, Hanna and Kenneth raised their two children in Hayward, California where she lived for more than twenty years. After Hayward they lived in Sunnyvale and Lake Tahoe for several years before moving to Lake Wildwood, outside of Grass Valley, California, living amongst the deer and wild turkeys on a hillside overlooking the lake . From there, she and Kenneth moved to Reno to be close to Tahoe (but out of the snow), where she spent the rest of her life.

In addition to her siblings, children, grandchildren and great-grandchild, Hanna leaves behind her loving companion, Wilbur Lane of Dayton, Nevada. She and Wilbur, now 93, would set out on weekend road trips to the many beautiful areas she so dearly loved in northern Nevada and California, as well as Hawaii. Lake Tahoe and the Mendocino coast were by far their favorite places to spend time at. Wilbur, who spent his working career in the Navy is one of the last few surviving WW-II sailors who was on the USS Enterprise when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Wilbur would keep her entertained with the many stories he had from the wars he was in, his life at sea and during shore leave in the many ports in which he was anchored. She would entertain him with her stories of being a shipyard welder during WW-II, oftentimes referring to herself as "Rosie the Riveter".

The last four years of Hanna's life were difficult battling the life-robbing mental illness, dementia. However, she was very happy and peaceful during the last year of her life due to the heartwarming care she received from all of the caregivers at the Arbors Memory Care Community in Sparks, Nevada. The family is so very grateful for the care Hanna received not only from those at the Arbors but also the caring and professional staff at Renown Regional Medical Center, Northern Nevada Medical Center and REMSA. Hanna often said how fortunate our community is to have such compassionate services.

Upon passing, Hanna was left in the caring hands at Walton's Funeral Home/Ross, Burke and Knobel Mortuary. There will be no funeral services for Hanna, but her wishes are that any gifts of condolence be sent to Alzheimer/Dementia patient care facilities and/or research centers.

Reno Journal-Gazette and Mason Valley News - Dec. 14, 2014.