Sharon Hanson

Sharon Faye Hanson was born on January 11, 1940 to Raymond and Lorraine Heggestad in Starbuck, Minnesota. Mom resided in Fridley for the majority of her life, and worked at RMS, a machine shop, as a Platinum Manager, inspecting parts that would be used in Medtronic pacemakers, until her retirement in her mid-50s. She enjoyed working around the house, in the yard, and spending time with her children and grandchildren. Sharon's mother also lived with her, until Alzheimer's required grandma be admitted to an assisted living facility. Sharon loved music, and the likes of Elvis Presley, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Dolly Parton, and Kenny Rogers. Sharon's husband Paul, who many knew as Ace, played together with Chill, Sharon's brother in law, many times, as well as with other musicians throughout Minneapolis. Sharon was also known to enjoy singing karaoke at the Fridley VFW now and again.

Sharon was the eldest of 2 children, she had a younger sister Geraldine Joyce (Geri). The family lived in Starbuck until Grandpa Ray was discharged from the Army. During the time Ray was enlisted, Lorraine, Sharon, and Geri lived in town in Starbuck. That homestead has now been torn down, and in its place stands a grocery store. Mom told me their home didn't have running water, or indoor plumbing. Grandma would heat water on the wood stove, and fill a wooden tub in the kitchen for them to take baths in. The last one to take a bath got the dirtiest water she said, so she and Geri would fight to be the first into the tub.

Lake Minnewaska connects two towns, Starbuck and Glenwood. Starbuck is on one end of Lake Minnewaska, and Glenwood is on the opposite end. The lake is 8 miles long, and Sharon and Geri spent many summers on Minnewaska beach playing with their cousins. The sisters also attended Minnewaska Lutheran Church, and Sharon was confirmed there as well.

When school was out for the summer Grandma, Sharon, and Geri would spend those months with their Aunt Ollie and Roy, at the Berens farm in Benson, Minnesota. Sharon would help with farm chores like butchering chickens, feeding hogs, and helping care for Ollies 5 children. Ollie would then make all of Mom's school clothes in exchange for the help, out of whatever material she had available, sometimes even out of gunnysacks. Ollie recalled how Sharon and Geri would act like they were horses, walking on all fours, and kicking their legs up in the air, and whinnying about. Uncle Roy got quite the kick out of the two girls acting like horses and truly loved their company.

Sharon had a nickname that everyone called her back home in Starbuck. Her nickname was tubby despite being thin as a rail. I asked Aunt Ollie why they called her tubby, and she said, "it was because as a baby she had floppy cheeks". The funny part is, when I spoke with David and Tim, Ollies two sons, I was asking them their favorite story about mom, and they didn't know who I was talking about. Ollie told them I meant Tubby, and then they knew immediately who I was referring too. My mom wouldn't let any of us kids call her that. I am not sure why, maybe that was a special memory in her life that she wanted to keep just that way.

After Grandpa Heggestad returned from the War, he moved the family down to Minneapolis in hopes of a better job. My mom and Geri then enrolled in high school at Columbia Heights High school. Mom won several awards for her penmanship, excelled in Mathematics, and also became a cheerleader.

It was in the Twin Cities, that she later met, and married Dan Hamilton. They had 2 children, Brian Patrick and Daniel Jay. They moved from Minneapolis to Montana for a time, and also to Arizona. Sharon then moved from Arizona back to Mpls to live with her parents. From there she later moved to Sauk Rapids, MN. Her aunt Carol and Uncle Ralph lived there, and they spent most weekends together. Brian recalls sleeping in the Matthies attic on weekends, while the adults played cards downstairs. Mom worked at the Blue Eagle in Sauk Rapids, and had an apartment on one end of the building. She met another tenant while living and working there, and later married my dad, Paul Richard Hanson. They had 2 children together Glenn Paul, and Tammy Jo. My brother Dan has many memories of the turtles he would bring home from the creek behind their apartment.

Mom was an incredibly strong, kind, and compassionate woman. Family meant everything to her and she loved to entertain people in her home. I can remember many family picnics, barbecues, and volleyball games with our cousins growing up. We also traveled to St Cloud to visit Aunt Carol and Uncle Ralph and their children., and there were trips back home to Starbuck too. Our great Uncle Bud would walk us down to dairy queen, which was always a treat.

We took a family vacation to San Angelo, Texas to visit Marvin and my Grandma one summer. I remember mom had bought her first new car, a Chevy chevette, manual 5 speed, with no air conditioning. She was so excited that she finally had a brand new car, so she decided we would drive to Texas in July. I remember stopping at the gas station when we got there, buying bags of ice, and sticking ice cubes in our shirts. I had also just gotten my driving permit, so mom let me drive. It was late at night, and after I had driven for about an hour, we realized I had gone the wrong way getting back on the freeway, and we were headed back home. I guess even back then I had no sense of direction, some things never change.

Anyone that knew and loved mom usually bought her a Pabst or and Old Milwaukee beer. She certainly enjoyed her beer, and I know she would ask that all of you raise a glass later, in celebration of her life, because I know she felt well loved, and loved others just as equally.

My mom was such an incredibly hard worker, most times working 2 to 3 jobs to provide for us kids. I remember, she would take machine shop parts home from work, and in the evenings sand burrs off of them to make extra money. I have no doubt that she learned to be such a hard worker from both her Aunt Ollie and my grandma Rainey. Those woman knew what it meant to work hard, and to do your best, even if it was the most menial job.

I don't ever recall hearing my mom complain about anything. She was always grateful for the simple pleasures in life. She didn't want for excesses that most of us just expect we are entitled too. She never had the newest things, or the flashiest clothes, or diamonds, or money. But my mom had this sense of eloquence and grace about her that had nothing to do with breeding or money. She treated everyone with kindness, and would give the shirt off her back to anyone that needed it, and she was so completely self-less. I could only hope to one day be as wonderful a woman as she was her entire life.

While Mom and Dad were married, they met many fellow musicians, in there travels playing at various restaurants and bars. The book present at the funeral, has pictures and autographs of fellow musicians, whom also played at the Flame Restaurant, along with my dad Paul and my Uncle Chill Helmin.

Sharon and Paul later relocated to Anoka, MN and purchased a home at 3622 Ridge Ave. Brian and Danny recall growing up with the Kemps children while living in Anoka. The Hanson's Anoka home later burned down, and then they moved to Blaine and eventually Fridley, where mom lived and raised her 4 children until her death on May 1, 2016.

We all recall as children, going fishing with mom, and her bringing a can opener and a can of corn. We didn't seem to catch any fish, but she was faithful it was the perfect bait. She used to get so sunburn, because she would fish in her bra when no one was around. I remember her taking baths in vinegar to take away the sunburn. She was definitely fragrant for a day or so afterwards.

Another fond memory I have is making homemade ice cream with the old crank ice cream maker. Glenn and my arms would get so tired, that we would beg my dad to take over and the crank the handle. We would be so relieved that dad could crank it for so much longer. I can still taste that vanilla ice cream like it was yesterday. I have no doubt mom has dad hustling about in heaven, still cranking the handle to make her favorite chocolate ice cream, with Spanish peanuts on top of course.

Mom's favorite holiday was always Christmas. We never had a lot of money, but she loved to cook the meal, and decorate the house. I think she got that from Grandpa, because he loved Christmas just as much. Growing up we had the ugliest fake Christmas tree you have ever seen. It was so crooked, so bent up, and us kids seemed to assemble it wrong everytime, but mom never fixed it. She always said it was the most beautiful yet, and we loved that about her, she always focused on the best in every situation

Sitting down and trying to summarize the high points of my mom's life for everyone felt so inadequate. I don't feel as if my words can do justice to her life, or share the impact her kindness had on us, and everyone that knew her. Whenever I am struggling to make meaning of something, I find myself looking for my bible. In the book of Revelation 21:1-4 says: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their god. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. That sounds like a pretty wonderful place for my mom to be. I think any of us that have gone through the death of someone we love, we struggle to make sense of it. But knowing that mom will be spared from any further pain and suffering, and that she will have eternal rest gave me a sense of peace about her death. I believe we only get one life, and if I were mom I would be very proud of how I lived my life, and I wouldn't have any regrets, because she did her best to honor and to help others. Those are the things that matter most, and I'd like to think that mom was challenging each of us here, to go out and treat others with the same love and kindness she chose.

Mom was a lady in every sense of the word. She always put her family first, she worked hard, she prayed hard, and she never gave up. She stood by us kids through thick and thin, and sacrificed everything to make our lives better, and we loved her beyond any words I could put down on paper.

Sharon is survived by her children; Brian Hamilton, Daniel Hamilton, Glenn Hanson, Tammy Hanson, 2 grandchildren: Michael Hamilton and Ashley Keske, her Aunt Ollie Berens, many nieces and nephews, and her brother in-law Jack Gries

My entire family would like to thank all of you for helping us remember and honor our mom today. I have no doubt that mom is smiling down from heaven right now, thankful to see us all together here celebrating her life. As selfishly as I wish she were still here with me, I know she needed her rest, and god only takes the best.