Donald Lee Hanson passed away in the early morning hours at home, on December 14th, 2020 at the age of 87. He was born on November 21, 1933 in Graceville, Minnesota to Olaf and Adeline Hanson. Don, being the 2nd youngest of 6 children, was raised on a 460 acre farm. In 1941, the Hanson family left farming and moved to Nisswa, Minnesota, where Don met his first wife, Marlene Betty Kunde. They married in 1953 and had 4 children: DeeAnne, Jeffrey, Steven and Kristine. Don had 6 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. After attending Mankato College of Minnesota, Don began his 36 year business career with Manganese Chemical Company. Over these years, several acquisitions took Don and his family from Minnesota to Baltimore, Cleveland and Dallas. His career entailed increasingly important positions and covered chemist, plant management, marketing, data processing and finance. On October 15, 1988, Don married Anne Marie Hicks in a ceremony in Texas. Don and Anne eventually retired together from Occidental Chemical Corporation and moved to Don’s actual childhood home in Nisswa, MN on beautiful Roy Lake. In 1992, Anne gave birth to Emily Anne, Don’s 5th child and they enjoyed many happy years in Minnesota. They eventually moved to North Ridgeville, Ohio, where they watched Emily grow into a mature young woman, eventually marrying John Gibson in the summer of 2019. Don and Anne recently celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary. Don was an exceptional golfer, even into his 80’s and enjoyed being a starter from 2001 to 2017 at the Creekwood Golf Club with his friends and co-workers. After suffering nerve damage in his thigh in 2017 at the age of 83, Don had to give up his work and beloved golf game. This caused Don to require a walker and he accepted this difficult lifestyle change with grace and few complaints, always stressing the importance of a positive attitude. Just last year, Don practiced hard with a one-time cane use, in order to walk his daughter, Emily, down the wedding isle. Don was well liked by everyone and made a point to make people comfortable with his humor and his interesting and engaging conversations. Don is a veteran of the United States Army and will be interred at the Ohio Western Reserve National Military Cemetery. The family will plan a summer celebration in honor of his accomplished life. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
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