Daniel E. Hanson

Dr. Daniel Edward Hanson died peacefully at home of prostate cancer early in the morning of December 2nd 2018.  He was 86 years old. In the last weeks, Dan was cared for by his family with the help of Mankato Mayo Hospice. 

The memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church, Mankato, at 11 AM on Tuesday, December 18th.   Visitation will be held at Northview-North Mankato Mortuary, 2060 Commerce Drive, North Mankato on December 17th from 4-7 PM. Interment will be at Fort Snelling National Cemetery at a later date.

Dan is survived by his wife, Marilyn, son Daniel (Inger) and their daughters Sylvi, Mari, Thea of Northfield; daughter Laura Pietan and her daughters Sophia and Lilyanna of Stillwater; sister Gretta of Minnetonka, brother Paul of Detroit Lakes; in-laws Jim (Joon) Mornes of Golden Valley; and many nieces and nephews.  Dan was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence and Kathleen, and his brother John. 

Dan was born to Clarence Hartvig Hanson and Kathleen Hurley on February 26th, 1932, in Detroit Lakes, MN, where he grew up on Wilson Avenue with his older brother John, his older sister Gretta, and his younger brother Paul.  The family dog “Paint” was his faithful companion during his childhood and into his early years of high school.  Dan was a Boy Scout and often recounted how he had paddled the Ottertail River with this troop from Elbow Lake to Detroit Lakes.  He could still recite the Scout’s Oath in his 80’s. 

Dan loved the out of doors his whole life.  As a boy, he enjoyed hunting in the fall, skiing and sledding in the winter, and Legion baseball and fishing in the summer.  At the age of 12 he developed his life-long love of golf as a caddy at the Detroit Lakes Golf Club.

After graduation from high school, Dan joined the U.S. Airforce and served for a short time before transferring to the U.S. Army in order to attend Infantry Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia.  There, Dan became a paratrooper and was assigned to the 11th Airborne Division where he served as an Airborne Infantry Officer.  He served in Korea and after completing his tour of duty, he was honorably discharged from the service.  He was proud to have served his country.  After separation from the Army, Dan enrolled in pre-dentistry at the University of Minnesota.  He then graduated from Dental School in 1961 and started practicing in Mankato shortly thereafter. He was united in marriage to Marilyn Mornes on September 15th at the First Presbyterian Church in 1962.  They resided in Mankato and had two children, Danny and Laura.  Dr. Hanson cheerfully and devotedly practiced dentistry for 40 years. 

When weather permitted, Dan was usually on the golf course.  He enjoyed playing the game every Thursday after work and most weekends.  If rain prevented play, he spent the afternoons relaxing and watching the PGA tournaments.  He was a member of the Mankato Golf Club for 54 years and occasionally participated in tournaments in Mankato and Detroit Lakes.  

Dan was curious about the world and enjoyed the people and places he had the good fortune to visit.  He marveled at the architecture and engineering of Venice, learned to snorkel in Hawaii, and flew a kite in Beijing. The place he loved the most, however, was Minnesota.  He made several summer trips to the BWCA and spent numerous fall weekends hunting grouse and deer at the family hunting cabin up north.  He especially enjoyed birdwatching and participating in the annual Christmas bird count.  He was grateful for the natural world and the wonder it provides; an appreciation of which he passed to his children and grandchildren.  His good humor, calm demeanor, and love of family and friends will be dearly missed. 

Memorials to National Audubon Society, Cornell University Lab of Ornithology, Mankato Mayo Hospice, First Presbyterian Church of Mankato, or a charity of your choice.