W. Kirk Hankins

William Kirkpatrick Hankins, of North Mankato, died peacefully Thursday, February 18, 2016 at home surrounded by family shortly after his 88th birthday.

A visitation with refreshments will be held from 5-7pm, Sunday, February 21, 2016 at Northview ~ North Mankato Mortuary with a prayer service at 7pm. Private family services will be held on Monday. Burial with military honors will follow at Woodland Hills Memorial Park. Memorials are preferred to hospice at Mayo Clinic Health System, Mankato.

Kirk was born February 16, 1928 in Minneapolis to Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Kirkpatrick) Hankins. He graduated from F.J. Reitz High School in Evansville, Indiana in 1945. On June 5, 1945, as a 17 year old, Kirk was accepted into the U.S. Navy pilot training program and received the American Theatre and World War II Victory Medal before being honorably discharged two years later. He was united in marriage to Joyce Betzler on May 27, 1960. As newlyweds, they lived briefly in Minneapolis before relocating to California, where Kirk earned his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Southern California. In 1976, the family moved to Mankato and Kirk taught Accounting courses for 7 years at Mankato State University.

Described as confident, creative, and driven with a can-do attitude, Kirk was an innovator. He was the former President and CEO of Winland Electronics and retired in 2001. One of his proudest achievements was seeing the company grow from $400k in annual sales to over $25 million. As an entrepreneur, Kirk also had an interest in starting new business and developing patents, such as the electronic coin bank. He was also honored to be the Controller of the top secret Hughes Glomar Explorer Mission in 1972, which ultimately raised a sunken Soviet submarine from the ocean floor.

In his spare time, Kirk enjoyed reading, playing cards, fishing, hunting, and traveling. Above all, he loved spending time with his wife, children, and grandchildren. He was their biggest supporter and could be seen cheering in the stands at every game. He also loved traveling the world. His favorite destinations were Israel, Thailand, Hong Kong, the Greek Islands, and Africa.

Kirk is survived by his wife, Joyce Hankins of North Mankato; children, Kirk (Carolyn) Hankins of North Mankato, Dr. Terry Hankins of Havre, MT, and Kimberley Hankins of San Jose, CA; 8 grandchildren; and daughters from a previous marriage, Katherine Alamo, Susan Comber, and Kris Baxter. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Reeve Hankins; and sister, Bette Buell.