Earl A. Hansen

Earl A. Hansen, age 95, of Garden City, died Monday, January 13, 2025, at his home.

Funeral Service will be held at 10:30 a.m., January 25, 2025, at Lake Crystal Mortuary. Visitation will be held from 4-6 p.m., January 24, at Lake Crystal Mortuary and will continue one hour before the service. Family interment will be in Garden City Cemetery. 

Earl was born July 11, 1929, to Joal and Leone (Bedbury) Hansen in Garden City. Earl graduated from Garden City High School in 1947 and worked for lots of farmers picking corn, baling hay, pulling weeds, and de-tasseling corn. Earl worked for Lesters putting steel buildings up, helping farmers, ran the feed store for the creamery and worked at the local lumber yard for a while. He then helped Ben Grothe at his beer joint for about a year, then leased the place from Sam Hollerich for 6 months in 1955. He worked part time pumping gas at Clarks Station when the Wellcome Trust hired him in 1959 to take care of the park and working for the school district too. Earl was custodian at Wellcome Memorial School in Garden City for 34 years before retiring. 

Earl married Phyllis M. (Hewitt) Salfer on October 6, 1976, in Mankato.

Earl enjoyed playing basketball in high school, playing horse shoes, and fishing. In retirement he liked time outside in his garden. He spent many years on Garden City town board and United Fund drive.

Earl is survived by children, Jodi (Todd) Tischer of St. Cloud, Todd Salfer of Garden City, and Julie (Tim) Noonan of Seattle, WA, 6 grandchildren, Katelynn (Matthew) Marek, Taylor Tischer and fiancé, Tatum Duea, Javlyn (Levi) Lindeman, Samantha (Dylan) Carver, Tanner Tischer, and Jillian Tischer; 7 great-grandchildren, Carter, Caleb, Londyn, Libby, Wyatt, Franklyn, and Georgia; nieces, nephews, and extended family.

Earl was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Phyllis in 2016; brother, Lowell (Dorothy) in 2019.