Florene Evaline (Bates) HANSON

HANSON, BATES, MCCARTY, LICH, SIMPSON, FIESELER, MARESCH

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 3/30/2008 at 10:37:29

February 6, 2001
Mason City Globe Gazette

GOODELL - Florence E. Hanson, 73, passed away Saturday (Feb. 3, 2001) at her daughter's home in Belmond. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at United Methodist Church in Goodell with the Rev. Curtis DeVance and the Rev. Patrick Kennedy officiating. Burial will take place in Amsterdam Cemetery near Goodell. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at Dugger Ewing Funeral Home, Belmond.

Florence Evaline (Bates) Hanson was born July 20, 1927, in Ackley, Minn., to Samuel Arthur and Nettie Evaline McCarty Bates. They moved to Ruthven, Iowa, in 1928 where Florence went to school and graduated in 1945. After graduation, Florence went to work in Dows where she met Merlin Orville Hanson. They were married on March 11, 1950, in Spencer at the Lutheran Church. They made their home in Dows where Duane was born in 1954. They moved to a farm on Highway 69 near Goodell where Janet was born in 1960. In 1962, they moved to the Cashman farm east of Goodell. They farmed several acres with the help of many hired men. In addition to farming, they were involved in the community of Goodell. This included helping on many annual festivities, such as fireworks displays, Halloween parties and fishing contests. They started Goodell Watermelon Days. In 1973 they moved to their own farm just down the road. Florence was a typical farm wife. She prepared big meals, drove a tractor and went fishing with her husband whenever they could find the time.

After the death of her husband in 1982, Florence lived on the farm until December of 1999 when she made her home with her daughter, Janet, in Belmond. She was a member of several organizations which included the National Farmers Organization, American Legion Auxiliary, VFW and the Klemme and Goodell Senior Citizens. Florence helped with the Goodell Fire Department for over 20 years and was also a Girl Scouts leader. She held offices in many of these organizations. Florence received the Outstanding Senior Citizen Award from Gov. Terry Branstad in 1992.

Florence is survived by her son, Duane and his wife, Jean, of Goodell; her daughter, Janet and her husband, Randy Lich, of Belmond; seven grandchildren, Benjamin, Barrin, Bethany and Barrick Hanson and Chastity (Lich) and her husband, Roger Simpson, and Christina and Austin Lich; two great-grandchildren, Preston Jay Hanson and Roger Dale Simpson Jr.; two sisters, Jessie Fieseler of Ruthven and Jean and her husband, Alan Maresch, of Bird Island, Minn.; and many extended family members and others who knew her as "Grandma Florence." She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, a baby, four sisters and one brother. Dugger Ewing Funeral Home