John Hanford Jr., 85, WWII veteran and floral and gift industry leader, died of heart failure on April 7, 2008, at his home in Charlotte, N.C. Hanford, president of WF&FSA from 1975-1976, was the older brother of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Hanford Dole (R-N.C.).

Hanford joined the family business J. Van Hanford and Son, which was started in 1905 by his grandfather, upon his release from the U.S. Navy. Under the leadership of Hanford's father, John Van Hanford Sr., and then during more than 50 years with John Hanford Jr., at the helm, the business grew to become the Southeast's largest wholesale florist business, with an expansive greenhouse complex, as well as an international import corporation. The business pioneered international trade in gifts and decorative accessories.

Hanford was one of the founders of the original WF&FSA Trade Fair, "Wares of the World," which, according to WF&FSA's executive director, Jim Wanko, grew to be one of the top 40 largest trade shows in the country in the 1980s. Hanford was president of the North Carolina State Florists Association, and he received WF&FSA's highest honor, the Leland T. Kintzele Distinguished Service Award in 1981.

The funeral service will be held on Friday, April 11, at 2 p.m. at First Methodist Church in Salisbury, N.C. Burial will follow at Chestnut Hill Cemetery.

--Kate F. Penn
kpenn@safnow.org

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