Michelle Hanson
Michelle Hanson, 47, of Willmar, died Sunday, June 4, 2023, surrounded by her family at her home on Eagle Lake.
Her funeral service will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday, June 8, at the Refuge Church in Willmar. Interment will be at Clover Leaf Cemetery. Visitation will be 4:00-7:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 7, at Harvey Anderson Funeral Home in Willmar and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Willmar Cancer Center.
Michelle Lea Hanson was born November 11, 1975, in Columbus, Ohio, the daughter of Kenneth and Linda (Tull) Jones. Her family later moved to Nisswa, Minnesota, where she was baptized and confirmed at Lutheran Church of the Cross. She attended Nisswa Elementary School and Brainerd High School, graduating in 1994. She then attended Central Lakes College in Brainerd and Ridgewater College in Willmar for accounting.
On May 3, 1997, she married Wayne Hanson at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Nisswa. Three daughters: Courtney, Cassidy and Kendall were born to their marriage. They made their home in the Brainerd/Baxter area, where Michelle worked in payroll and accounting. In 2007, they moved to Willmar and Michelle joined the staff of Conway, Deuth & Schmiesing as a Payroll Specialist. Michelle was promoted to Payroll Manager in 2010 and admitted as Partner and Director of Payroll Services in 2018.
Michelle was involved with the Willmar Chamber of Commerce as a Leadership Perspectives graduate and member of Next and Vision 2040. She was also a member of the Empower Initiative with the United Way, the American Payroll Association, and the Eagle Lake Association. She volunteered as a dance coach with Just for Kix and as treasurer of the Winged Foot Running Club. Michelle enjoyed boating, surfing, CrossFit, and snuggling with her puppy.
Michelle is survived by her husband: Wayne; daughters: Courtney Hanson (Jaxon Bombardir) of Woodbury, Cassidy Hanson (Jacob Bollig) of Willmar, and Kendall Hanson of Willmar; her mother: Linda Jones of Brainerd; a sister: Shawna (Jim) Cruikshank of Brainerd, and Rich (Jessica) Jones of Baxter; her maternal grandfather: Richard Tull; and many other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her father: Kenneth Jones; paternal grandparents: Mary and Cline Raffel; maternal grandmother Marti Tull; and mother-in-law: Alice Hanson. She was joined in heaven by her father-in-law, Clair “Bud” Hanson on June 5.
