Grace Hanson, 93

A Memorial Service for Grace V. Hanson of Baudette, MN, will be held on Friday, September 15, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. at the First Congregational Church in Baudette, MN. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be held at a later date.

Grace Hanson, age 93, passed away peacefully on August 26, 2023, at LakeWood Care Center in Baudette, where she had resided since May 2021.

Grace Violet Johnson was born in Sebeka, Minnesota, on October 29, 1929, "the day the stock market crashed", she would add. Grace was the sixth of nine children born to Charles and Elvera Johnson.

As a baby, she moved with her family to a Finnish community south of Graceton, Minnesota, in Lake of the Woods County. Grace, along with her brothers and sisters, began her formal education at the Savala School in Graceton. Later, as the family moved, she attended school in Baudette and finally in North Dakota.

The whole family loved to dance, and it was at one of these dances that Grace met her future husband, Noreen Hanson. They were married on November 8, 1947, and moved to his family's farm at Hay Creek south of Baudette.

In 1951, Grace, Noreen, and their 2-year-old son Joel moved to Federal Way, Washington, where Noreen worked as an electrician at the naval base. When the base closed, they returned to the farm at Hay Creek and lived there until they moved to Baudette in 1958. Their second son, Brad, was

born in 1956.

Grace worked for the North Western Bell Telephone as a switchboard operator and later went to work at Trinity Hospital, starting as a nursing assistant. She went on to become certified as a Surgical Technician and worked alongside Dr. Janecky in the operating room for many years. She also worked in the Central Supply and Receiving department.

She was an active member of the First Congregational Church, where she taught Sunday School and was involved in the Women's Fellowship group. She was also active in the American Legion and VFW Auxiliaries.

She was a dedicated fan of the Minnesota Twins baseball and Minnesota Wild hockey teams and faithfully supported them through thick and thin, although she would share her thoughts about what she felt was an inadequate performance.

Following Noreen's death in 2018, Grace moved to the Assisted Residential Community (Arc) at CHI Lake Wood Health Center (formerly Trinity Hospital). In 2021, she moved to the CHI LakeWood Care Center where she lived until her death.

Grace is survived by her brothers Walter, Willard, and Russell; two sons, Joel (Liz) and Brad (Mary); three grandchildren, lan and Heather (Ted Darrow) Hanson, and Heidi (Kevin) Swenson; two great-grandchildren, Blake and Cameron; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; three sisters - Hazel, Anna, and Edith; and two brothers, Ray and Glen. She is sadly missed by her family and her many friends.