The name Edward Hance appears in the War Department's listing of Santa Cruz County residents who died during World War II.

Alameda County induction records indicate that Edward J. Hance was born in Montana on June 3, 1903. His failure to appear on the Montana census of 1910 suggests that the family may have moved. Local records have failed to confirm his presence within Santa Cruz County. Prior to August 1942, he was single, had completed two years of high school and was employed in what his enlistment records describe as "building of transportation equipment--not automobile or aircraft."

Edward Hance was inducted into the Army Air Corps in San Francisco on August 31, 1942. Information regarding his military training or the units to which he was subsequently assigned has not been located.

The US Department of Veterans Affairs indicates that Army Air Force Private First Class Edward J. Hance died as a result of non-battle circumstances on July 31, 1945. His body was interred in the Fairmount National Cemetery in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
(ACGEN; NARA2; USDVA)