Obituaries

Obituary: Arthur Renald Hansen (1932-2012)

He immigrated from Canada when he was 23, served in the U.S. Air Force and worked at Lockheed for more than 30 years. Family was his consuming passion—plus an acquired love for golf and building bird houses.

 

Arthur Renald Hansen, peacefully passed away with his loved ones by his side on Monday morning, December 17, 2012.

He was born on September 25, 1932, in Zone Township, Ontario, Canada, near present day Bothwell, the fourth of eight children. He was preceded in death by his parents, Wilhelm Peter Hansen and Karen Hansen.

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At age 23 he came to the United States, served four years in the United States Air Force, spending time at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and at several Air Force Bases in Japan.

He became a US citizen in 1959, and upon honorable discharge from the Air Force he accepted a job at Lockheed Missiles and Space Co. (now Lockheed Martin) in Palo Alto, which also allowed him to be near his beloved aunt and uncle, Karen and Laurits Rasmussen. He attended Foothill College and San Jose State University. Mr. Hansen worked at Lockheed for 30-plus years as a Metallurgical Engineer. His work focused primarily on research and development in the fields of aerospace, defense, and military aircraft.

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It was in Palo Alto where Arthur met his wife Mary, whom he married in 1968. In addition to his engineering career and prior to starting his family, he took pride in his involvement as a counselor and guide for several youth organizations in the Bay Area, specifically his time leading numerous backpacking excursions throughout the Sierra.

While raising his family, his life was consumed with his kids' activities and home improvement projects. Arthur loved getting his kids involved in projects at home, and this trait has certainly been passed down, even to his grandkids. He retired from Lockheed in the early 1990's, and was able to travel with his wife to the many places they had always dreamed of visiting together: Europe, British Columbia, the South Pacific, among many others.

Family was and always continued to be the focus of his life. He developed a love of golf and building bird houses throughout his retirement. He was an active member of St. Simon's Catholic Church in Los Altos. He was so proud of his children and their accomplishments. He was a devoted grandfather and cherished every moment he had with his young grandchildren. As a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, and friend, Arthur enriched the lives of all those he came in touch with. He will be dearly missed because of his dry humor, generosity, genuine love and compassion for all. He was a devoted San Francisco Giants fan and was so fortunate to have witnessed their recent success.

Arthur is survived by his wife of 44 years, Mary Hansen, and their four children and spouses: Stephen and Emi Hansen, Matthew and Jennifer Hansen, Kristine and Keith Latson, and Nickolas Hansen; and seven grandchildren: Dane, Jana, Jeanine, and Janelle Hansen; Bridger and Davis Latson; and Chandler Nolan. 
A memorial mass was held Friday, December 28, 2012 at St. Simon's Catholic Church in Los Altos with a reception afterwards in Spooncer Hall. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his honor to
Valley Center Little League, c/o Matt Hansen, P.O. Box 496, Valley Center, CA 92082.

This obituary has been provided courtesy of the Cusimano Family Colonial Mortuary.


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