John Edwin Hankal, 79 of Ormond Beach Florida, passed away unexpectedly after a long unrelated illness on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, at Orchid Cove of Daytona Beach.

He was born October 16, 1941 in Jackson, Mississippi to Robert Nicholas and Helen Rose Hankal.  He grew up in DeLand and attended Dempsie Brewster Elementary, 8 ^th grade through high school at Christ School in Arden, NC.  He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduating from Stetson University where he was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.  John received his JD from Stetson University College of Law, Class of 1970.  He was a member of Phi Delta Phi (Historian 1968). He attained the 2 ^nd highest score on the Florida Bar exam and was invited to speak at the 1970 Florida Bar swearing in.

John was a talented attorney, beginning his career as Assistant Volusia County Attorney in Daytona Beach in association with Kermit Coble.  He was appointed Circuit 7 Judge in St. Augustine by then Governor Reuben Askew.  He was a Certified Circuit and County Court Mediator Workers Compensation and a Certified Court Appointed Arbitrator.  John then went on to become inhouse counsel for Summit Consulting followed by joining Stiles, Taylor, and Grace in Orlando and specialized in Workers Compensation, Insurance Defense, and Appellate practices.  Within that firm, he moved to their office in Jacksonville and then Tallahassee where he retired.  John was a member of the St. Johns County Bar Association (President 1978-1979), American Bar Association, (Economics of Law Practice Section), The Florida Bar Association (Workers Compensation and Appellate Practice Sections), and the Florida Academy of Trial Lawyers.

In younger days, John was an avid hiker and camper and later golfer and reader of all subjects! He had an uncanny memory of everything:  events in history -foreign and domestic; old movies, who was in them, etc.; and his undying admiration of John Wayne.  He loved his ginger cat, Charlie.

Survivors include his significant other of 17 years, Caryl G. Heebner of Ormond Beach (whom he had dated in high school and reconnected with years later), his daughter, Helen Hankal DeGrilla of Apopka and grandchildren Gibson, Avery, and Merris DeGrilla; his sons William L. Hankal (Christine) of Tampa and grandchildren Helene and Holly Hankal; Samuel Dunning Hankal; sister Bette Hankal Gordon of Ft. Myers, and nieces/nephew James, Julie, Jody, and Jennifer. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Harriet Ann Hankal.

Condolences for the family may be shared at www.lohmanfuneralhomes.com .