Obituary of Barbara M. Hanson

Barbara M Hanson of Cambridge, MN passed away on Tuesday, March 15, 2017 at Prairie Senior Cottages in Isanti, MN at the age of 86. She was born in Cambridge MN to Reynold and Lottie (Kluck) Stake on February 9, 1931. She lived her whole life in Cambridge, graduating from Cambridge High School in 1949 as the class valedictorian. It was in high school that she met the love of her life, Dudley Hanson, and married him on March 31, 1951. That union lasted 65 years until Dudley passed away in October of 2016. Many of those good years were spent split between their lake home in Cambridge and their villa in Fort Myers, FL. Barbara was a lifelong member of Cambridge Lutheran Church where she was baptized and confirmed. Her involvement in the church consisted of many things including; directing all different ages of choirs, leading Bible studies and planning/directing pageants and celebrations. She was blessed with amazing musical ability which allowed her to not only sing and play herself but to teach others. Barbara was also gifted in writing songs and programs. She used this gift to create church programs, political campaign songs and planning the Swedish Festival program. While raising a family, Barbara also did bookkeeping for local businesses including Kluck Oil and Gas, Inc, which was owned by her father and then her husband. After Dudley retired, she owned (with her twin daughters) Gemini Travel which allowed her and Dudley to travel to many parts of the world. She was an excellent cook with a huge collection of cookbooks allowing her to try new dishes for her family and friends. She loved to host parties and family dinners and no one was ever disappointed with the food. Besides cooking, Barbara was an avid reader, often staying up much of the night just to finish a book. Barbara was a loving wife, mother, and grandma who will be greatly missed. Her patience and grace shown during her struggles with Alzheimer’s Disease were admired by many. Her family is extremely happy that she is now back together with "her Dudley " She was preceding in death by her husband, Dudley, her parents, and her brother Bill Stake. She is survived by her children; Cheryl Olsen, Carol DeGray, Steven (Sandra) Hanson all Cambridge.; her grandchildren Joshua DeGray and Amber DeGray of Cambridge, Samuel (Nicolette) Frederick of Pine Island, MN and Andrew Frederick of Sioux Falls, SD, as well as other relatives and friends. A Memorial Service will be held at 2PM, Saturday, March 25, 2017 at Cambridge Lutheran Church. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service.