Condolence From: Sam Moore
Condolence: Franklin Jesse Hannah
(A Tribute by Sam Moore)
Jesse: Friend, Gentleman, Iconic Christian, Listener, Family Man, Achiever, Perseverer, Inadvertent Mentor, A Man of Special Presence and Demeanor, Fountain of Wisdom
Qualities: Courteous, Others-Centered, Kind, Thoughtful, Purposeful, Intentional, Circumspect, Prudent, Honest
I was so privileged to have Jesse as my friend. I was, and felt, special as his friend, but over time, experience taught me that all who came into his realm of influence had that opportunity. Jesse simply opened that door to all, regardless of their socio-economic, cultural, academic, physical or financial background or status. Maybe it was his own background...self-taught from amazingly humble beginnings that he never forgot...pulling himself up by his own bootstraps from a very low step on the socio-economic ladder, so to speak...scraping and scrapping to do what he could in life. Jesse would never have described his life that way. He would always acknowledge the grace and goodness of God in his life, but evidently he was able to learn life’s most important lessons so well and so early...often through the school of hard knocks! Many of us have experienced God’s grace in abundant ways, but Jesse seemed to let the times that he experienced God’s grace melt so well into his character. Seeing life from the underdog’s point of view just enabled him to have a special compassion on the underprivileged and oppressed. He seemed to have a way of seeking those out, who were less fortunate than himself, and then blessing their lives in some simple or magnanimous, big-hearted way. He was so outward focused and service minded. Yet it is ironic that he could move among any crowd--not only among the lowly, but just as easily among the influential, ‘cultured’, and upper echelons of society. Jesse wasn’t blind to these factors, he just chose to look beyond them to the person with whom he was dealing. He could see through the superficial to the person underneath and meet them on those terms.
It’s rare that you run into a person who is a true listener! Most people are ‘tellers’--a possible indication of where the center of their life is. Jesse was not that way. His first impulse when you met after a period of absence was to hear your experience and your reactions and your activities of life. On many occasions I was chagrined after telling my seemingly big story, that he had been so reticent to tell his story that carried so much more significance! He truly lived by Philippians 2:4--”Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others”. Also James 1:19, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry”.
Jesse’s education was mostly drawn from lessons of life, but academically, it was mostly will, determination, and perseverance that got him through. And persevere he did. I pray that God will be gracious to those of us who have been given family support and adequate financial position and heritage in life. The Bible warns that to whom much is given, much will be required. I am so thankful for God’s grace. Thank the Lord he doesn’t grade on a curve with Jesse’s life setting the precedent. I’m afraid the bar would be set way too high for me. During the wonderful times I’ve been allowed to spend with Jesse, hunting or working on and enjoying Miracle Land (a wonderful blessing from God and a hunting acreage that Jesse owns and has stewardship over), I got to experience the wisdom of his practical, life-taught education again and again. What a refreshing aspect to life--all this knowledge and wisdom that didn’t necessarily come from a book or a college course!
Jesse was a very intentional and purposeful person. Almost every day and activity was planned in advance, and prioritized with the values that Jesse was motivated by. It would seem that a person that planned ahead so well and so precisely, would be someone who would be uptight if things didn’t go as visualized. That was not the case with Jesse. It’s almost inconceivable how someone so intentional and ordered could be so relaxed and fun to be with! When a glitch occured or a problem arose, he just had a way of accepting it and then going on to plan B. His life was ordered, but not uptight. It sure made it delightful to be in his presence. I guess another irony of such a well-ordered life was Jesse’s great sense of humor. It was enjoyable, entertaining and appropriate, never crude or at someone else’s expense.
I’m a little reticent to be the one to talk of Jesse’s achievements, for fear of overlooking some and of not correctly expressing others, but I will make a crude attempt to call attention to a few that I’m aware of. After a sweat-and-tears degree in business from Arkansas State University, Jesse’s first job was in adult life was at a shoe store where he quickly had a managerial position thrown on him. Jesse soon came to understand that the store he was managing was one that had been involved in fraudulent activities and oversite. Through a policy of honesty, very hard work, and a refusal to make capital of others mistakes, Jesse was able to bring the store back from a very bad financial position. I’m sure this taught Jesse that God can work things out for the good to those that love and trust him in faithfulness. For a while Jesse took on the role of President of Chi Alpha at Arkansas State University. I think he was also filling in as a full time pastor at that time. At some point, God opened the door for Jesse to move to Springfield, Missouri where he was in charge of the business side of the Missions Department of the Assemblies of God. Then for four or five years, Jesse headed up the Deferred Giving and Trust Department of the Assemblies of God, raising over five million dollars annually. During these years, Jesse traveled to many churches to hold services and to offer financial seminars and raise funds for the Assemblies of God.
In 1989, Jesse and his family moved to Waxahachie, Texas to serve Southwestern Assemblies of God College (now SAGU) as Director of Finance and Administration. In 1993 the Hannahs moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas where Jesse worked for Blue Cross Blue Shield for a 19 year successful career, before he retired in 2012.
Since his retirement, Jesse has enjoyed improving and maintaining Miracle Land. He has always had an eye for its future and has always had his kids and grandkids in mind when he was making improvements...adding various plants, and trees to encourage deer to come in. Keeping up the food plots and stocking the ponds was a great enjoyment to him. Jesse stayed engaged and involved in all the lives of his family and extended family. His posterity has arisen and called him blessed! He has had a wonderful relationship with his wife, Gloria, and you could see his tenderness and commitment lately when he helped her through her hip surgery recovery. He really enjoyed having some of his grandchildren shoot their first deer on his property and from blinds that he had set up.
If you didn’t have the privilege of knowing Jesse, you will never know the full extent of your loss! For me, outside of my own family, our relationship was one of the most meaningful of my life. I hope I can measure up to a tenth of the man you were, Jesse. You mentored me and didn’t even know it. I’ve seen Jesus in all your ways. I love you Jesse! See you later!
Your Friend, Sam
Tuesday January 23, 2018
