Wayne E. Hansen 1927-2017

HANSEN

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 12/21/2024 at 22:01:55

Wayne E. Hansen
(May 28, 1927 - November 11, 2017)

Wayne Ervin Hansen entered eternal rest at the Pomeroy Care Center on November 11, 2017. He had been in ill health for several weeks after a fall in his assisted living home resulted in severe internal injuries. Family and friends surrounded him with comfort and prayers during this time.
Wayne Ervin Hansen was born on May 28, 1927 to Lawrence C. and Ida Behrends Hansen. Lawrence and a brother, Clarence, came to the Knoke area from Gibson City IL to start their "new life adventure�." Lawrence ran the garage in Knoke, IA. He met Ida, they married and to their union Wayne was born. Lawrence was plagued with stomach ulcers all while growing up. When Wayne was about nine months old, Lawrence passed out by the air hose at the Knoke garage and died in the hospital in Fort Dodge. Ida and Wayne were assisted during this difficult time by her family members: brothers George, Ben and Bill; her sisters Mate, Dena, Lena and Emma Behrends. In 1932 Ida married John Wells who became Wayne's step-father. They lived on John's farm one mile south of Knoke. To this union two sisters to Wayne were born: Margaret and Shirley. In March of 1944, Ida died due to complications from a hysterectomy. John Wells later married Mary (Midge) Enderlein who became Wayne's step-mother until his adoption by them in 1961. Growing up on the farm, Wayne had vivid memories of his boyhood. He remembered how cold it was some winters. The house was heated with cob and wood burning stoves and on cold winter nights the stoves would often go out. Water in the teakettle sitting on the stove would actually freeze. Wayne's mother would heat bricks in the cook stove oven and put them in his bed to keep him warm. Sometimes Wayne would have snow drifting over his blankets during a windy blizzard. It could be zero degrees or below in his room so when called to get up, Wayne would get dressed in a hurry and scamper downstairs to the warm stove that his step-father, John Wells, had going in the kitchen. Because they had no electricity, the "bathroom"� was a two hole outside toilet right around the corner of the house. In the toilet they used old Sears Roebuck catalog sheets for toilet paper. Wayne could not remember his folks ever buying toilet paper while on the farm with the outhouse. Money was short during the great depression which lasted several years. During this depression, no one had any money as crops were very cheap. Wayne remembered corn bringing 6 cents a bushel. Wayne attended the Jolley School until he got dismissed due to mischievous behavior. He graduated from Pomeroy High School and entered the army due to World War II in progress. He trained as a medic, but shortly before deployment, the war ended. Wayne and a friend began his first entrepreneur experience when they made engraved metal bracelets for the returning servicemen who bought the bracelets to give to their wives and girlfriends. They used an empty barracks drawer to store the bracelets. Wayne made enough money from these sales to buy himself a used car. On June 2, 1949 Wayne married Bernadine Marie Hammen at St. Francis Catholic Church in Rockwell City, IA. They lived and farmed on the farmstead where Wayne had grown up. To their union, four children were born within five years: Cynthia Marie, Sherry Idelle, Mary Lou, and John Wayne. Wayne and Bernadine celebrated 65 years of marriage before her death in September, 2014. Soon after marriage, Wayne began helping Bernadine's brother, Emmett, at his sale barn in Fonda. They paired as auctioneers and worked many farm auctions together. In 1955 Wayne started selling Dekalb seed corn. This became a "family business"� as Bernadine helped wait on customers and his children assisted "sacking sweet corn"� in the basement of their home. Wayne enjoyed this business very much and continued to sell seed for 32 years. While farming, Wayne raised hogs and cattle and John Wells got Bernadine interested in raising sheep and chickens. In the early 1950's the farrowing stall was invented and Wayne considered making his own farrowing stalls. After several years working on improved design changes, Wayne started manufacturing in the winter in his double garage. As his business grew, Hansen Manufacturing moved to the old blacksmith shop in Jolley. Due to the increased need for space, it relocated to the creamery in Pomeroy. The business outgrew that area and the old theatre and car dealership buildings were added to the manufacturing property. At one time Wayne employed 22 part and full time workers--more than the elevator employed--which he was very proud of. The business name was later changed to Hansco, Inc. Building farrowing stalls proved to be a good move and was the beginning of the manufacture of many different types of livestock equipment. Wayne had several long-time employees who also became his best friends. The manufacturing business proved to be a challenge which Wayne enjoyed. One of the highlights of his business was showing his equipment at the Clay County Fair each year. Bernadine worked side by side with Wayne and prided herself in "keeping the books" for all of Wayne's businesses: farming, raising livestock, selling seed, and manufacturing. Wayne, with the support of Bernadine, was a big Pomeroy community booster. He was president of the "Pomeroy Business Men's Club." They acquired property west of the Catholic Church and sold stock to local citizens to qualify for a state grant to build what became known as the "Pomeroy Apartments." He was also on the St. Mary Church building committee which designed the building and raised money to build the new church which was dedicated August 23, 1970. Wayne was one of the committee members which raised money to build a mall in downtown Pomeroy. They got property releases, removed old buildings, and sold stock to finance the mall. After this accomplishment, Wayne and several others in the community noted that care centers were being built in nearby towns. A committee was formed with a representative from each of the Pomeroy churches to pursue this dream. This was an aggressive committee which did a survey of the area to determine the feasibility of such an endeavor. They hired a lawyer from Clarion who had experience in the field to design the building and work with the State of Iowa for approval of the details. There became a need for a doctor in town, so this committee worked toward making this happen. Several years later the committee decided to build an Assisted Living addition to the Pomeroy Care Center. A grant proposal was developed which succeeded in getting money to help finance the structure. This provided 12 private rooms for residents who would get 3 meals a day, assistance with laundry, housekeeping and personal needs. Wayne was a Pomeroy Care Center and Assisted Living board member for over 30 years. This was the most gratifying of all the projects Wayne had worked on due to the fact that it created jobs in the area and served the people of Pomeroy who needed special care. This facility also became Wayne and Bernadine's living quarters for the later years in their lives. Before his death, he was knowledgeable of the National Healthcare Award given to the facility which he had helped build many years before. Survivors include Wayne's children: Cynthia (Gordon Loots) of Pomeroy, IA; Sherry (Tom Kutz) of Holt, MO; Mary (Karl Moeller) of Kearney, MO; and John (Debbie) Hansen of Cedar Rapids, IA; sister Shirley (Ron Essing) of Pomeroy, IA. He is also survived by 13 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. Wayne was preceded in death by his wife, Bernadine; his parents: Lawrence and Ida Hansen and John and Mary Wells, and sister Margaret (Carl Heldt) of Mallard, IA. Copyright Lampe & Powers Funeral Home, (712) 464-7665, www.powersfh.net