Jean Hansen's Obituary
Jean Hansen was born on September 4, 1929 in Seattle, Washington and died September 7, 2020, three days after her 91st birthday. She was born to Oliver and Theresa Pagni who immigrated to the United States from the small village of Pone Buginesse, Italy around the turn of the century. They settled in an Italian community in the Rainier Valley of Seattle known as “Garlic Gulch.” There she went to Mass and attended elementary school at Our Lady of Mount Virgin Parish. Jean was preceded in death by her siblings Roger, Eva, and Anne. Later, she lived in the Tacoma and Puyallup area and attended Sumner High School and Fife High School.
In her post-high school years, she sojourned to California. When she returned to the Northwest she met Richard Hansen at the Poodle Dog Restaurant in Fife where she worked as a waitress. They were married on November 13, 1954.
They made a home in Puyallup where they raised four boys and tended to a small raspberry field. In later years, they branched out to farm another berry field and a rhubarb patch. Richard was a salesman for Auto Clearing House and Williams Oil Filter Company in Tacoma while Jean pursued her primary vocation as homemaker. She also oversaw the berry picking crew. Over the years she enjoyed some part time jobs such as monitoring the playground at North Puyallup Elementary School, doing deliveries for a local florist, cleaning offices, and selling ice cream at the Puyallup Fair.
Jean poured out much love on her children, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and many friends. She enjoyed cooking, baking, reading, television watching, going to movies, doing crossword puzzles, card games, playing slot machines at casinos, playing BINGO, collecting bells and hummingbird souvenirs, travelling to Reno, taking cruises, and hanging out with friends at the Eagles Club where she was a member
Richard and Jean were charter members of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Sumner. In later years, Jean became a member of Celebration Lutheran Church in Puyallup where served as a Stephen Minister and enjoyed strong and lasting friendships.
Jean is survived by her children Tim, Rick, Bryon, and Todd; her daughters-in-law Sue, Lynnea, Britt and Gail; grandchildren Sarah, Sheryl, Stephanie, Lori, Rikki, Brittany, Zachary, and Lyndsay; and ten great-grandchildren.
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