Our Delaware County Democratic Party lost a dedicated member and volunteer on Oct. 19, 2020 when Greg Hankins passed away from heart disease.
Greg lived in Delaware with his life partner Julie Houston since 2005. During that time he attended most executive committee meetings and volunteered in many capacities. He staffed tables for the Delaware Farmer’s Market, Delaware First Fridays, the Sunbury Flea Market and the Unity Festival, often entertaining visitors with songs and humor. He served on the Fundraising and Headquarters Search committees. He co-chaired the county fair booth since 2017 and thoroughly enjoyed fair food and meeting the volunteers and fair-going public. He also acquired and managed the party’s portable PA that the party used at meetings and candidate events in recent years. He canvassed during campaign seasons and was an enthusiastic supporter of Hillary Clinton.
Greg was a professional musician for decades. He was widely known in Folk and Irish Music circles with his band The Irish Brigade. He owned music stores in Columbus for many years and was a respected retailer on the national level. The Shamrock Club of Columbus will host a proper tribute and Irish wake after pandemic restrictions are relaxed. You can see a tribute video put together by Greg’s family and other Irish musicians here. Greg sang a few songs for the 2020 Delaware County Democratic Party annual fundraiser. Check this one out with his partner, Julie, and brother-in-law Denny.
In addition to Julie Houston, Greg leaves behind his daughter, Kelsey Velazquez, grandson Spencer Gregory Velazquez, and two sisters. He had hundreds of friends and fans who enjoyed his music and affable personality. He is sorely missed.
