Jeanne Louise Hansen's Obituary
We are sharing the bittersweet loss of our gracious and kind mother, Jeanne Louise Hansen. On July 9, 2024 Mom passed into the next life to be with her love, our father, David and their eldest son, Frank.
Mom was born in Seattle, WA on December 27, 1934. Her parents moved the family to University Place where Mom and her sister, Rae, attended Clover Park High school. It was there that she met Dad, married shortly after he returned from serving in the Korean War and for 27 years they lived the best of lives raising their six children and sharing their lives with family and friends. We six children were a product of that love. In 1962, they settled in Poulsbo, Washington so that Dad could work as a civilian at Keyport and Bangor Naval Stations.
Mom was always there for us kids. She was a school volunteer, church volunteer, den mother, Girl Scout leader and attended our many activities as we grew up. Dad and Mom shared with us their love of camping and gardening which propelled us to continue these passions with our growing families. Mom loved reading and built her own extensive library of treasures.
When her kids were older, Mom expanded her career as a special education interventionist and decided to take a leap of faith and went back to college to earn her teaching certificate. She became a Special Education teacher for North Kitsap High School until she retired in 1999. As a teacher, she was always there to help her students with their studies. Her nurturing attitude, consistent patience and insightful guidance were instrumental in helping her students and children succeed in school.
After Dad passed in 1982, Mom took on new adventures, travelling the world. Oftentimes, we would inquire where her next adventure would take her – Europe, Asia, South America, Australia and Africa. She invited each of her grandchildren to travel with her on a one-on-one travel adventure; trips that they cherish to this day. Mom also joined an active travel group that shared her passion exploring new cultures, historical sites and experiences for nearly 30 years. They also travelled to Ashland yearly to attend the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
In 2004 Mom moved to Lakewood, Washington where late in life, Mom, the family historian, became interested in capturing our family genealogy. Many of her travels took her to family historical sites so that she could gather more information to build the Hansen family history story. After many years of research she completed that branch of the family tree and began the Burque/Peel branch. Her children and grandchildren each were gifted books documenting her painstaking research.
Jeanne is survived by her five children DeeAnn Hansen (Tim); Jill Stuntz (Tom); Rae Hansen; Burque Hansen; and John Hansen (Crystal) her 12 grandchildren Krishan, Kory, Kyle, Brandon, Ryan, Sarah, Drew, Rachael, Jared, Madison, Aaron and Aurora; and six great-grandchildren Olivia, Ella, Rowan, Hazel, Dillon and Molly. She is also survived by her sister, Rae Marie. She was preceded in death by her husband, David and eldest son, Frank. We are forever grateful for the lives that Mom (and Dad) created for us and to all the family, friends and neighbors who loved and supported them.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Association or the American Cancer Society.
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