Jolene Frances Hansen was born September 12, 1928, on a farm near Emmetsburg, IA, to DeLon and Verna (Harrison) Harvey. Her siblings were an older brother, Robert, and younger brother, Ronald. Jolene was baptized at the Emmetsburg Methodist Church and confirmed at Bethany Lutheran Church in Emmetsburg.
Jolene attended Lake Center School. She was an active member of the Langdon United Methodist Church, participated in the United Methodist Women’s group, worked as the church custodian, taught Sunday School for many years, and volunteered in any way she could.
She met Lawrence Hansen when she was 14 years old. They were united in marriage on February 1, 1948. Together, they spent many nights bowling and playing cards with friends and neighbors. They remained together for 77 years. To this union 6 children were born: Nancy (Lanny) Hanson of Spencer; Deb (David) Kaus of Spencer; Vickie (Richard) Hall of Ann Arbor, MI; Randal (Lisa) Hansen of Spencer; Curt (Julie) Hansen of Spencer; and Terry (Jolene) Hansen of Spencer.
Jolene loved baking, gardening and bird watching, she especially loved watching cardinals and collecting cardinal figurines. She spent many hours canning and preserving fruits and vegetables to be enjoyed by her family. She will be remembered for her chocolate and angel food cakes. Often her baked goods were sold for hundreds of dollars at the Annual Church Auction. Jolene took being a stay-at-home wife and mother seriously. She learned to drive later in life and used this skill to deliver many lunches and meals to her family during planting season and harvest. She learned to sew in order to help provide for her family. She took great pride and joy in making sure her family was well cared for.
Jolene passed away on October 11, 2025, at the age of 97. She was preceded in death by her parents, DeLon and Verna Harvey; parents-in-law, Louis and Carrie Hansen; and 2 brothers, Robert and Ronald.
She is survived by her husband, Lawrence; 6 children and spouses; 21 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; 2 great-great grandchildren; and many other relatives and friends.
The family would like to thank the staff at SPARC, Dr. Feldmann and staff, and Dr. Sather for their wonderful care.
