Esther Hanson
Esther Hanson, age 92, of Granite Falls, formerly of rural Sacred Heart, was called home to her eternal rest on Friday, April 16, 2021 at the Granite Falls Care Center in Granite Falls. Funeral services will be Thursday, April 22, 2021 at 2 p.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Sacred Heart with Vicar Gwen Arneson officiating. Burial will be in Our Savior’s Cemetery in Sacred Heart. Visitation will be for one hour prior to the service at the church. Covid guidelines will be followed. Arrangements by Dirks-Blem Funeral Service, Renville, MN.
Esther Elvina Hanson was born three months premature on November 30, 1928 in Willmar, Minnesota to Frank and Mabel (McDowell) Lang, one of thirteen children. She was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith. She attended country schools, graduating after completion of eighth grade. Before her marriage she did childcare for the families of Milo Frank and Donald O’Connor. On May 4, 1949 she was united in marriage to Vincent K. Hanson at First Lutheran Church in Olivia, MN. To this union they were blessed with three children. Esther was employed as a cook for ten years at the Crown Dining Center in Granite Falls and later as a sewing machine operator at Fingerhut and B.W. Harris, until they closed in 1990. She then did sewing at a factory in Cottonwood, MN for a few years. Esther also did home care for an elderly couple in Granite Falls, MN, retiring in 1998. She was a lifetime member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. She was active being a Sunday school teacher, and in sewing circle until stairs in the church became too difficult to maneuver. Esther then continued to sew in her home, sewing hundreds of quilts, lap robes, and baby quilts. She was a member of the Ladies Auxiliary Post 4026, holding offices as president and secretary-treasurer until the Auxiliary disbanded in 2012. She also volunteered at the Sacred Heart Historical Society. Esther and her late husband loved dancing to old time music. She enjoyed baking, gardening, canning, embroidery of dish towels and quilt blocks and in later years putting puzzles together, doing word finds, and playing bingo. In earlier years she enjoyed spending time with her two oldest grandson’s Otto and Chad, taking them to the lake (at Aunt Leona’s Cabin) and family reunions. She loved having her great grandchildren come to her home and getting dropped off by the school bus. One of Esther’s highlights after being in the care center was when her great grandchildren came to see her.
Esther is survived by her three children: Larry (and Wanda) Hanson of Hanley Falls, Sharon (and Les) Immens of Spirit Lake, IA and Darrel (and Cheryl) Hanson of Sacred Heart; her seven grandchildren: Otto, Chad, Theresa, Andrew, Mike, Laci and Nick; her six great grandchildren: Erin, Katelyn, Ashley, James, Paige and Carter; her seven siblings: Sam (and Lila) Lang, Bob (and Mary) Lang, Art (and Margaret) Lang, Gene Lang, Katie (and Leonard) Scholla, Leroy Lang and David (and Lori) Lang and many nieces, nephews, step children, step grandchildren, relatives and friends. Esther was preceded in death by her parents, husband Vince in 1990, granddaughter-in-law Amy; and her five siblings: Leona, Lillian, Alice, Harvey and Nina
