Obituary Record

Leo Sebastian Hansen
Died on 1/16/2008

None

Published in the Enterprise January 25, 2008

Leo S. Hansen, 97, of Aberdeen, S. C., died Jan 16, 2008, at Avera Mother Joseph Manor in Aberdeen.

A funeral Mass was held Saturday, Jan 19, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Aberdeen. Interment was at St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Leo Sebastian Hansen was born June 17, 1910, to Thomas and Elizabeth (Baer) Hansen in Clear Lake Township, Edmunds County, S.D.

On Oct. 22, 1934, he married Bertha J. Schneider at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

He farmed until 1977 and continued his electrical business. Many new friendships enhanced his life.

Hansen restored an 1885 school house that he attended, then in 1992, he donated the structure to Centennial Village, a recreation of a late 19th century/early 20th century South Dakota Town, located at the Brown County Fair grounds.

In 1994, he was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame as an “Unsung Hero.” According to the Aberdeen News, Hansen earned the honor through “numerous contributions in township government, conservation, historical preservation, and other areas.”

Hansen had served for years on the board of Centennial Village. Don Gist, board president of Centennial Village, was quoted in the Aberdeen News, saying that Hansen “Was willing to help out anybody. He was a heck of a good guy and well-liked by everybody.”

Hansen was also chairman of the Brown County Association of Townships.

The News also reported that Hansen had received a “Great Service to South Dakota Award” from former Gov. George Mickelson, and former Gov. Bill Janklow had honored Hansen as a “South Dakota Ambassador.”

He had been a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church since 1919, where he served as a lector, council member, usher, and Eucharistic minister since 1989. He was a member of the Moose Lodge at Aberdeen, James Valley Thrashing Association and, since 1939, was a lifetime member of the Knights Columbus and a 4th degree member since 1993.

He is survived by his wife, Bertha; daughters and sons-in-law, Angeline and Al Prus of Morristown, N.J. and Marlene and Richard Schlenker of Kennard; three grandchildren, Renee Milligan, Melanie Tate and Lowell Schlenker; six great-grandchildren, Sean Milligan, Heather Milligan, Connor Tate, Logan Tate, Cora Schlenker and Grant Schlenker; brother, Fabian Hansen of Renton, Wash.; four sisters, Anna Schwab, Mary Pitz and Betty Flahaven, all of Aberdeen, and Delores Barker of Bryant, S.D.; a brother-in-law, Robert Olson of Aberdeen.

He was preceded in death by one brother, Peter Hansen; and four sisters, Agnes Kamen, Loretta Olson, Rosina Hansen and an infant sister.

Find A Grave Memorial# 157500641

Printed in the Washington County Enterprise on 1/25/2008


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