Vera Hanson

Vera Hanson, age 98, formerly of Clinton, MN, passed away on October 12, 2020, in Golden Valley, MN.

Public visitation will be held from noon until 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 24, 2020, at Elim Lutheran Church in Clinton.  A private family service will follow and burial will be in the Clinton City Cemetery.

On Monday morning, Oct 12, 2020, our wonderful mother, Vera Margaret (Sigler) Hanson, was called back to heaven and reunited with the many family and friends who preceded her.  Mom was born on her mother’s birthday in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on March 7, 1922, to Benjamin and Margaret (Feller) Sigler. Because Mom lost her father at five weeks old and her mother at ten years old, she eventually moved to Tabor, IA, and worked for a doctor and his family who became like parents to her.  When she graduated from high school she moved to Clinton, MN, to be closer to her brothers: Alvin and Orville.  She worked as a waitress at the Temple Café and caught the eye of a young man, named Harold, who persuaded her to become his wife.

They were united in marriage on July 8, 1944, in Clinton, MN.  They moved to the farm west of Clinton where she lived for the next 62 years.  Her life spanned from cooking on a wood stove for threshers, washing clothes in an outside wash house, graduating to wringer washers, hanging clothes on the line in winter, and standing the frozen jeans and long underwear in the dining room until they thawed and collapsed on the floor, to finally all the modern conveniences we take for granted.  She learned to become a farmwife and diligently served her husband, her children, and her mother-in-law, and father-in-law, that also lived on the farm.

She loved music and instilled that love in all of us.  Her mother provided her with piano lessons and with self-teaching, became a very good pianist.  Her favorite music was swing/big band and all of us remember dancing around the coffee table while mom played. Many times she would dance through the kitchen as she worked.

She loved to bake and was famous for her rye bread.  She loved to crochet and sew. She sewed clothing for her children and many costumes for school plays.  Mom loved to can fruits and vegetables, and there were always peaches, pears, bing cherries, and tomatoes glowing on the shelves in our cellar.

She was very active in her church all her life, teaching Sunday School, serving on the Altar Guild, Ladies Aid, and Circle groups.  She was a true prayer warrior.  She knelt beside her bed to say prayers every night even throughout her 90’s until the last year.

Her integrity was above reproach and taught us the difference between right and wrong.  Mom taught us about Jesus and how to pray.  She read to us from the Bible and led bedtime prayers. A heavy-handed peacemaker, she demanded her children apologize to each other.  We, her children, knew exactly what was expected of us and how she expected us to live our lives.

Being separated from her three brothers upon her mother’s death at the age of ten years, her challenging childhood instilled a steel-will of surviving.  That will carried her through her long life of 98 years, enabling her to endure all the challenges life would bring.  She set an example for us that you never give up until you are called home.

Mom was preceded in death by her parents: Benjamin and Margaret Sigler; brothers: Orville, Alvin, and Virgil; husband, Harold; and grandchildren: David, Nathan, Isaiah, and Jeremiah.  Survived by daughters: Suzanne Burke (Ted) of Cannon Falls, MN; Sandra Ford (Bob) of Fullerton, CA; Sharlene Griebenow (Kim) of Fridley, MN; and sons: Byron Hanson (Robert Wichmann) of Minneapolis, MN; and Paul Hanson (Jenifer) of Lino Lakes, MN; as well as many grandchildren; great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews.

You worked hard Mom, and have earned your rest and now have your reward in heaven.    We love you and will miss you always.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Doris Day Animal Foundation (https://www.dorisdayanimalfoundation.org/), or the Humane Society of the U.S.