Lisa Diane Hahner (née Folgate) died unexpectedly at her home in Lewisville, Texas on July 4, 2020 at the age of 54.
Lisa was born on February 6, 1966 in Reno, Nevada and attended elementary and junior high schools in Hanford, Oxnard and Bishop, California.
She graduated from Albert M. Lowry High School in 1984 and from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado in 1988 with a degree in biochemistry.
She married Clay Hahner on June 10, 1989 in Winnemucca, Nevada and started her career at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center as a research assistant and lab manager. After moving to Lewisville, Texas in 1995, Lisa began working on The Human Genome Project at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas.
Over the course of her 30-year career, Lisa was an author on over 20 scientific papers including the sequencing of the entire Human Genome.
She most recently was the lab manager and Senior Research Scientist for the Endocrinology Department studying how the regulation of fat storage affects metabolism with the overall goal of developing improved treatments for diabetes and obesity.
Lisa is survived by her parents, Kent and Toddene Folgate of Winnemucca, Nevada; husband, Clay Hahner of Scottsdale, Arizona; sister Tanya Grady (Tim) of Winnemucca, Nevada; nieces Madeline and Mackenzie Grady of Winnemucca, Nevada; sister in law and brother in law, Bill and Terry Snyder of Arvada, Colorado; brother in law Roger Hahner of Colorado; nieces Laura Snyder Halfen and Kathryn Hahner of Arvada, Colorado. She is preceded in death by her maternal grandparents, Todd and Loyce Watkins and her paternal grandparents, Bill and Marcia Folgate.
Lisa was a lover of all animals, especially birds, and was a member of the National Audubon Society and many local birding groups in the Dallas area.
She recently acquired a micro mini pig, Wolfgang, who she spoiled as if he were a child.
She enjoyed traveling with her husband, family and friends, and was very proud of her yard, especially the flowers she doted on.
She enjoyed cooking and canning fruits from local farmers’ markets and would share her homemade goods with coworkers and friends.
She was a universal blood donor and had recently acquired her 8-gallon donation pin from Carter Bloodcare in Dallas.
She also volunteered at Operation Kindness, a no-kill animal shelter in Texas.
Lisa will be remembered by all for her kindness, her positive outlook on life and her smile that helped brighten many people’s days. She lived every day to the fullest and will live on in our hearts forever.
A celebration of Lisa’s life will be set for a future date. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in memory of Lisa Hahner to one of the following entities:
Operation Kindness
3201 Earhart Drive,
Carrollton, Texas, 75006
National Audubon Society
Audubon Texas State Office
7700 W. Hwy 71, Suite 330
Austin, TX 78735
Condolences and memories of Lisa can be posted at mykeeper.com. Until we meet again, fly high Birdielisa.
