Baker City, Oregon
Charles D. “Chuck” Hansen, 81, a longtime Baker City resident, died Feb. 21, 2001, at his home after a brief battle with cancer.
A celebration of his life will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral at First and Church streets. A graveside service will be at 3 p.m. Saturday at Mount Hope Cemetery. Interment will follow.
Mr. Hansen was born May 8, 1919, at Norman, Neb., the second son of Roy and Emma Hansen. He attended a small three-room country grade school in Nebraska and graduated from Minden High School in 1938. He then attended Oregon State College in Corvallis from 1938 to 1941.
He was drafted into the military and served from 1941 to 1945 in the United States and in the European Theater (Italy). Following his discharge he continued military affiliations with the Air Force Reserve, retiring in 1976.
Mr. Hansen began his 36-year career with Pacific Northwest Bell in Bend. In 1947 he was transferred to Baker City, where he worked as an installer and at several other jobs inside the telephone company plant before his retirement in 1982.
He married Mary Margaret McEnroe in September of 1948. They celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary in September of 2000. Their children were C. Douglas Hansen, who died in 1995, Mary Jo Hansen Grove of Baker City, and two infants who died at birth, Patricia and Joseph.
Mr. Hansen enjoyed many interesting things, including gardening, reading Louis L’Amour novels, watching television, photography, videotaping his grandsons’ activities and sporting events from an early age through high school, and also videotaping his own extensive travels.
As a retired military person he had the opportunity to travel on “space available,” military aircraft, around the world. He was in Germany when the Berlin Wall came down in 1989.
His travels also included trips to Africa, Alaska, Europe, the Pacific islands, Turkey, Asia, the Azores, Spain and three visits to Australia. He traveled many times to the Hawaiian Islands and enjoyed it very much. He also had the opportunity to visit many cities and air bases in the United States.
More recently he developed an interest in the computer. He liked getting online, sending e-mails and surfing the Net. Of all his hobbies his greatest was following his grandsons in their athletic events. He was their greatest supporter and traveled thousands of miles to watch them play.
Mr. Hansen was a member of the Elks Lodge, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Air Force Sergeants, St. Elizabeth Hospital Auxiliary and Trail Tenders. He volunteered at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center and St. Elizabeth Health Services. He was affiliated with the Catholic Church.
Survivors include his wife, Mary Margaret Hansen; his daughter, Mary Jo Grove and her husband, Jim; his daughter-in-law, Debbie Hansen; his four grandsons, the pride and joy of his life, Marc Hansen, Darren Hansen, Casey Grove and Mitchell Grove; a brother-in-law, Joe McEnroe; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his two brothers, LeRoy Hansen and Harley Hansen; his son, Doug, and two infant children, Patricia and Joseph.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Baker Sports Complex through the Coles-Strommer Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, Ore., 97814.
Used with permission from: The Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, February 23, 2001
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor