Jean Carla Schnick, age 75, of Kanab, UT passed away Monday, August 20, 2018 at the Kane County Skilled Nursing Facility in Kanab. She was born March 1, 1943 in La Crosse, Wisconsin to George and Anita Schnick.

In 1961, she graduate valedictorian of La Crosse Logan High School and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colorado.

She operated a catering business in Denver and Boulder, CO for over twenty years. While living there she was an avid hiker, climbing more than ten peaks of 14,000 ft. or more.

In the mid-1980s she had the opportunity to travel several times to Europe and bike extensively through many countries, including England.

She moved back to La Crosse in the late 1980s and was employed for a short time with Bethany Lutheran Homes until she become assistant department manager at People’s Food Co-Op, one of the largest in the United States. There she met Bill Hanke in the early 1990s, her partner for the rest of her life.

Beginning in 2001, they started making annual winter trips to various locations in the southwest, including St. George and Kanab. Finally, in 2014, they decided to make Kanab their permanent home.

Jean’s many interests included hiking, biking, cooking, bird and animal watching, flowers, butterflies, the many wonders or nature, and geology. She will be remembered for her warm, kind, and flexible ways.

She is survived by her companion of twenty-seven years, Bill Hanke of Kanab; step-children David (Sandra) Hanke and Dawn (Jonathan) Knauft of Oregon, Wisconsin; step-grandchildren Adam and Samuel Hanke and Ana, Natalie, and Aaron Knauft; and her sister Shirley Fanello of La Crosse, Wisconsin. She was preceded in death by her parents.

A graveside service was held August 25, 2018 at the Kanab City Cemetery, officiated by Christian Mosdell. Arrangements were by Mosdell Mortuary.