Jim served two tours in Vietnam aboard the USS Knox for the US Navy as a sonar technician. He received the National Service Medal, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Vietnam Service Medal with a bronze star. Upon his honorable discharge in 1972 from the US Navy, Jim Hanks returned home to assist in the family business, Hanks Electric. He was a scholar in many fields and received his Masters Degree from Rollins College in Business Management. In 1977, he decided to carry on his father Seldon's legacy at Hanks Electric providing exemplary service to the community for the past 43 years.
Jim was an active member of the Clermont Chamber of Commerce. He was a dedicated servant of the Lord and lifelong member of the First Baptist Church of Groveland. Jim was best described as a pillar of his community, known for his generosity and kind spirit, a man that loved the Lord and shared his love of Jesus Christ with everyone he met. His life was and will continue to serve as a testament of how we should live and love one another.
Jim was born to Seldon and Ruby Hanks. He was a devoted husband, beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He is survived by his loving wife of 50 years, Gail; his children, Diane Aramino and her husband Adam and their children Danielle and Adam II, Julie Hanks and her children, Michael and Samantha, Nancy Dittrich and her husband Howard and their children, Destiny (her daughter Kensley), Daisy, Michelle, and Chloe, David Hanks and his children, David Jr., Lillian, Garret, and Colton, and Carolyn Maitland and her husband Oral and their children, Emma and Matthew. In all Jim had 14 grandchildren, 1 great-grandchild, with one on the way, and many more to come.
