Obituary of Shirley Leona Hansen

Shirley Leona (Meyer) Hansen

August 31, 1936 - June 24, 2023

Shirley was born on a farm in Verdi Township near Lake Benton, Minnesota in one of the hottest summers in Minnesota history. Her parents were Charles Raymond Meyer and Leona Rosella (Trautman) Meyer.

Shirley went to school in a one room country schoolhouse, taught by her aunt, Ines (Trautman) Krause, until it burned down the day before Valentine's Day when she was in about second grade. She cried because she lost all of her valentines. After this, she went to "town" school in Lake Benton. She was in choir and girls' Triple Trio and graduated as salutatorian of her class in 1954. Shirley went to South Dakota State College in Brookings, where she majored in Home Economics, emphasis in nutrition.

In 1956, Shirley married Dennis Hansen of Tyler and they moved to Ames, Iowa, where she completed her Bachelor's degree at Iowa State College. They moved around to Madison, Wisconsin, and St. Paul, Hopkins and Minnetonka, Minnesota. They had three children, and parted ways in 1987.

When her children were small, Shirley sewed clothing and other items for them. She was also known for making blankets, particularly flannel receiving blankets for newborn infants.

Shirley substitute taught in several local school districts and also held office jobs, including insurance claims customer service, and won more than one outstanding service award from the Araz Group. After her retirement, she volunteered at a food shelf and Fairview Southdale hospital.

Shirley was active in her church and became the first female elder at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. She was also Midweek class superintendent. She joined other churches over the years and was a Stephen Minister. She moved to Bloomington in 1992 and to Edina in 2002.

Shirley was active in a social group informally known as "The Cohort" (she sometimes referred to it as "The Gang"), comprising women she met at work, at her apartment and on other occasions. She also got together occasionally for lunches with her cousins. She traveled throughout the United States and also to Mexico, England and Germany.

In 2019, Shirley moved to Aurora assisted living in Edina, where she spent the rest of her days. Her health declined for a few years and she passed away at the N.C. Little Hospice in Edina.

Shirley is survived by a brother, Warren (Sue) Meyer; three children, Debbie, Brian (Emily O'Neill) and Jennifer (Mike) Kelly, and grandsons Matthew and Sam. She was preceded in death by her parents, an infant sister, brothers Donald and Curtis Meyer, and one son-in-law, Beau Battle.

There will be an Open House reception for family and friends to celebrate Shirley's life on Saturday, October 7th from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at the Cremation Society in Edina.