Sonja Lavonne Hanawalt

Last Updated on August 26, 2026 by Cass County Communication Network

Sonja Lavonne Hanawalt, 88, Logansport, Indiana, went to be with Jesus Tuesday evening, August 25, 2026. Her passing was peaceful, something she had longed for as kidney disease made life harder. She missed her husband and her parents deeply and looked forward to the day she could be with them again.

Born April 22, 1938, in Howard County, Sonja adored her parents, Denzel S. “Holly” and Ida (Lynas) Hollingsworth.

A 1956 graduate of Logansport High School, Sonja was active in swing band, orchestra, marching band, music club and Hi‑Tri. She continued her education at Indiana University for a year and a half before returning home.

On February 12, 1961, in Cass County, she married Eugene Perry “Sam” Hanawalt. Sam and Sonja were one of those couples people remember – kind, always smiling and inseparable. Sam passed away February 23, 2015, and Sonja counted the days until their reunion in Heaven.

Gifted with numbers, Sonja worked many years for the United Methodist Ministers Credit Union. She was a lifelong member of First United Methodist Church, now the Church of the Good Shepherd, where she served as financial secretary. Music was her passion. She rang bells in the bell choir, sang in the choir, and her baby grand piano was the heart of her home.

For more than 40 years, Sonja belonged to Delta Theta Chi sorority and treasured the friendships she made there. As a young girl, she was part of the International Order of Rainbow for Girls and later joined the Order of the Eastern Star. She was an avid reader and a skilled seamstress who could make anything she set her mind to.

Condolences can be shared at https://www.fisherfuneralchapel.com.