Lyle Hansen

Lyle Hansen, 88, of Lake Park, MN, passed away on Saturday, July 27, 2024.

Lyle Deane Hansen was born September 18, 1935, to Clarence & Mary Hansen. He was their 4th child & 1st son. He was one of 6 children that survived. His brother Jack Hansen is the only remaining sibling. He was preceded in death by his 4 sisters- Amarallys, Evaughn, Caryl, & Rubye and grandson Mark Lyle.

He grew up on the Hansen farm near Hitterdal, Minnesota. He went to school in Hitterdal as well, where he was active in sports- football, basketball & track. He was involved with Future Farmers of America & was a Minnesota state officer when he was a senior.

Lyle met Barbs Jarandson & after much persuasion & the help of her father, she agreed to date him. They married on August 22, 1954. They started their married life in Hitterdal before buying a plot of land outside of Hawley, MN in 1966 & built a home.

They were both looking forward to their 70th wedding anniversary when an accident happened at their home, taking Lyle from us. They had 4 children- Tim (rip), Tammy, Terrie (rip) & Toni (Mitch). They were blessed with many grandchildren & even great grandchildren in their life together. He was a proud uncle to so many nieces & nephews plus all the great & great- great nieces & nephews.

Lyle started work for Sellin Brothers, Inc as a young man. He worked his way up the ladder from picking rocks to running & repairing heavy diesel equipment to foreman to superintendent of the company. He helped take the company from exclusively building roads, including parts of Highway 10 & Highway 32 to parts of interstate highways 29, 90, & 94, to diversifying into water & sewer. He & Sellin Brothers put in &/or replaced the water & sewer systems in multiple communities in Minnesota after that, including in the town of Hawley.

Lyle retired from Sellin's in 1997. He & Barbs bought a lake property on Big Cormorant Lake & built their retirement home there. He was a community person while in Hawley, with involvement with so many organizations, church activities & he served 18 years on the school board.

Lyle remained retired until a friend mentioned Moore Engineering was hiring. He (supposedly) jokingly said “well tell them to send me an application.” Moore did & then they hired him. He worked on his terms for them for another 15 years as an inspector before he re-retired!

He treated everyone with respect- family, friends, coworkers & business associates. In turn he was respected by them as well. He lived by his own code of morals. As one cousin said, he was someone to follow.

He became involved in different Cormorant area community organizations, often as an officer, after moving to the lake, including the Cormorant Lake Association, Big Cormorant Lake Foundation, the Becker County Watershed board, & Hawley Lions to name a few. 

Lyle was a good friend & excellent neighbor. It wasn't unusual to see him getting his John Deere lawn tractor out with a snowplow attachment to go plow out neighborhood driveways after a snowfall. It also wasn't unusual to see him in shorts & a T-shirt while doing it. After years of using a Caterpillar blade to plow the streets of Hawley in the winter, this was more like playtime for him.

Lyle developed some real skills under the tutelage of his wife Barbs for baking cookies & frying donuts. They did dozens at a time. They shared with family, neighbors & the neighborhood via gifts, a bag left in the mailbox for the postman, items brought to church events like funerals & bake sales. They bartered donuts for walleye. After Barbs' vision started diminishing, he learned how to make a number of dishes for them & his family. His pan-fried walleye & sunfish were simply delicious!

He enjoyed playing pinochle at home & in local tournaments. He liked a Budweiser in the afternoon. He loved dessert! He loved his wife. He loved life.

Lyle will be missed by all who knew & loved him. 

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, August 7, 2024, at 4:00 P.M., with visitation for one hour before the service, at Cormorant Lutheran Church, Lake Park, MN. Burial will be at Hawley Cemetery. 

To watch a livestream of the memorial service, click below:

 Memorial Service Livestream