"Audrey" Hanson

Vera Audrey Hanson – age 93 – passed away on Tuesday, March 15, 2016, at the Chosen Valley Care Center in Chatfield, Minnesota.

Audrey was born on July 23, 1922, in Rochester, Minnesota to John and Allene (Hancock) Hanson of Cummingsville.  She was the great-great granddaughter of Torrey Hancock – the blacksmith of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “The Village Blacksmith.”

Audrey first attended school at the one-room school house near Cummingsville and often rode her pony to school.  She loved telling of the adventures she and her brothers had when they were growing up on the farm.  They worked hard, and they had great fun.  In 1939, Audrey graduated from Chatfield High School.  She attended Rochester Junior College and enrolled in the Kahler School of Nursing in Rochester.  Later she worked as a nurse for “Doc” Skaug in Chatfield.

In March of 1948, Audrey decided to attend a basketball game in Rochester – where Chatfield was playing in a tournament.  She was sitting in the stands with her brother when they were joined by Jack, a young man her brother knew.  This young man complained his feet were freezing, and Audrey volunteered to warm them.  A few months later, on August 26, 1948, Jack and Audrey were married in Van Nuys, California.  For the next 67 years, their love continued to grow.

As the wife of a military man, Audrey had to move many times and adapt to new places and new people.  For a Minnesota small-town farm girl, this should have been hard.  But Audrey treated each move as a great adventure and taught her children to do the same.  Every move presented the opportunity to be a tourist – to explore the wonders of deserts, mountains, oceans, and cultures.  Sunday drives often meant following a newly-discovered road to see where it would lead.  Audrey and Jack taught their children to love and respect the world and to open their eyes to its wonders.

When Jack retired from the Air Force in 1966, the family moved back to Chatfield to be near Audrey’s parents and brothers.  They populated their new farm with a herd of sheep, a couple milk cows, some poultry and, of course, horses.  Audrey became a 4-H leader and a town board member – always staying involved in her community.   She soon started working at Libby’s (Seneca Foods) as a seasonal worker – eventually becoming a full-time palletizer operator.  Audrey was proud of the work she did and enjoyed the friendship of her co-workers.  When she retired, she took advantage of the time to spend with her family and her horses.  She and Jack also bought a 1949 DeSoto and joined a local antique car club.  Touring with the car club, attending car shows, and driving in local parades provided many hours of enjoyment.

In their later years, Jack and Audrey moved a mile up the road – from their farm to an apartment in their son and daughter-in-law’s home.  Here they enjoyed one-level living and had the company of their favorite cats.  They remained active and involved in the lives of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Audrey became a resident at the Chosen Valley Care Center a few days before she passed away.

Audrey is survived by her husband, John “Jack” Hanson of Chatfield, son Donald (Lydia) Hanson of Chatfield, daughter Karen (Lester) Trapp of Claremont, daughter-in-law Susan (John) Hanson of Chatfield, daughter-in-law Mary (Dennis) Hanson of Rochester as well as many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, extended family and friends.  She was preceded in death by her sons Dennis and John Jr. and her three brothers – Merrill, Bruce and Stanley.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, March 19, 2016, at Riley Funeral Home in Chatfield.  Visitation will be from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM.  A committal service will follow at the Orion Center Cemetery.