Wesley Hanson

Wesley Earl Hanson, age 84, of Elk River, MN (formerly of Albert Lea) passed away peacefully on June 27, 2023 at Maple Grove Hospital.

A memorial service will be held at 2 PM on July 8 at Oakland Lutheran Church. Visitation will be held 1 hour prior to service at the church. Inurnment will be at Oakland Cemetery.

Wes was born on December 25, 1938 to Alfred and Della (Wangen) Hanson in Hayward, MN. He was raised in Albert Lea and graduated from Albert Lea High School. After high school, he attended and graduated from Dunwoody College. He started his career at Honeywell, then worked for B.O.C. Industrial Gases for 40 years, retiring in 2003.

On September 29, 1961, Wes was united in marriage to Lola Del Christensen. The couple raised their family in Minneapolis. They moved to Brooklyn Park in 1986, Osseo in 2011 and finally to Elk River in 2023. While living in Minneapolis, Wes attended Victory Lutheran Church and served as an Usher. In 1969, he and his wife purchased a property on Big Sandy Lake in McGregor, MN. They built a cabin there and this became a treasured destination for their family and friends, which continues today.

In his free time, Wes enjoyed feeding the birds, playing cribbage, gardening, jigsaw puzzles, watching Gunsmoke, Bonanza and football, snowmobiling, tracking gas prices, watching eagle webcams, roasting hot dogs over a fire, studying maps and giving advice on the best route to take. He was known for his quick wit, making people smile and having a notepad and pen in his pocket. He was a talented carpenter, hard worker, engineer, problem solver and inventor. He loved tractors, especially Allis-Chalmers. He valued family history and honored those that had passed away by installing benches and planters at the family cemetery.

His greatest love was spending time with his family. Of all of his achievements, Wes was most proud of being called Grandpa. He loved to make pancakes for them, attend sporting events, plan fishing trips and supervise projects. He kept a record of their achievements. He encouraged and supported them every step of the way because “that's what Grandpas are for”. He told every friend, family member and stranger about having a great-grandson named after him.

Wesley is survived by his wife of 61 years, Lola Del; children, Kandis Eickholt of Blaine (Chuck Eickholt of New Brighton), Randy (Val) Hanson of Becker, Tammy (Mick) Langer of Pequot Lakes; grandchildren, Angie Eickholt (Tony Betsinger), Amy Sanders (Matt Sanders), Haley Harmon, Hope Harmon (Jared Fritz), Tony Langer (Marissa Veurink), Andy Langer (Leila Aboujouda), Ally Langer; great-grandchildren, Emma Eickholt, Taylor DeGroat, Hannah Sanders and namesake, Wesley Langer. Along with many special nieces, nephews, in-laws and his very special 4-legged friend, Tinker.

He is preceded in death by his parents, 2 sisters and 4 brothers.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Marlon Lee of Minneapolis Vascular Physicians and the caring staff at Maple Grove Hospital.

“10-4 Good buddy”