Obituary for Carl William (Bill) Hansen

Carl William (Bill) Hansen, 90, Newcastle, died, Saturday, March 18, 2017, at the Custer Regional Senior Care.  Carl was the eldest of eight children of Carl and Ella (Toth) Hansen. He was born on the Walgren place near Horton, WY on May 19, 1926.  Bill was raised on the family ranch near Horton and in Newcastle. He attended grade school and high school in Newcastle, graduating in 1944. Bill then enlisted in the US Army (WWII) in 1944. He served two years in the European Theater (England, France and Germany). Bill was a combat infantryman and on the journey over on the Queen Elizabeth with 10,00 troops on the ship he was designated to go up into the crow’s nest (100’ in the air) to watch for enemy boats and aircraft. He landed at LaHarve, France, where the 106th Division was “Hitting the Battle of the Bulge” and used a BAR rifle. He returned home from service and worked in the oil fields at Newcastle, the City of Newcastle, then working for Sioux Oil Company (now Wyoming Refining Company), Bill retired after 23 years with the refinery in 1989. On June 8, 1952 he married Lorna Allen at the Methodist Church in Newcastle and they have made their home in Newcastle since that date. Two children were born, Chris and Darlene who now live in Spearfish, SD.

Bill was a member of the Country Church at Four Corners, WY, First United Methodist Church and the VFW. Being the oldest of eight children, he learned to work at an early age and took on many needed tasks when his dad was away at work. He was a man of many talents. Bill had the joy of spending summers at their Ponderosa Cabin after retirement, spending many hours cutting and splitting firewood. He loved to fish, hunt, walk and drive his Subaru. One of the delights of his life after retirement was a venture to remodel the Country Church building at Four Corners. He restored the old pews and built new ones, cut and hauled wood to church and worked wherever he was needed. The time spent working on the church and attending was so special to him, with a renewal of his faith in God and the joy of fellowship.
Bill is survived by his son, Chris Hansen and daughter Darlene (Travis) Sears, all of Spearfish, two brothers; Fred (Barbara) Hansen, and Jack (Betty) Hansen, four sisters; Rose (Ervin) Allen, Lorraine Davis, Shirley (Roy) Borgialli, and Helen (Corbin) Nicolls, all of Newcastle, WY, one aunt, Elizabeth Cummings, and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
He is preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Lorna Allen Hansen; parents, Carl and Ella Hansen; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Ross and Lorella Allen; one brother, Jimmy Hansen; and one sister-in-law Zelpha Hansen; brothers and sisters –in-law; Ariel and Roosevelt Cole, Junior and Bertha Allen, Russell Davis, and David and Anna Marie Rawhouser.
Bill’s Celebration of Life will be held at the Westin County Senior Center on Saturday, March 25, 2017 at 11:00 am with visitation starting at 10:30 am. Burial will follow at the Boyd Cemetery at Four Corners, WY. In Lieu of flowers, a memorial has been stablished. Kinkade Funeral Chapel, Sturgis, SD is in charge of the arrangements.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.kinkadefunerals.com