Stanley "Gene" Hanson

Stanley Eugene (Gene) Hanson was born April 22, 1930 in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota to Maurice and Marie Hanson. He passed away in Colorado Springs on March 7, 2020 as he was approaching his 90th birthday.

Gene worked for Pikes Peak Music for 12 years maintaining juke boxes. He also served in the Naval Reserve for 12 years. He was a project engineer for Kaman Instruments for 28 years where he designed and tested a variety of specialized sensors. In retirement he found pleasure in building and repairing clocks as well as helping friends with handyman projects. His greatest joy was sharing each day with the love of his life, Dorothy.

Gene and Dorothy Hanson were married for 68 years. They eloped in New Mexico on May 29, 1951 and began an adventure of life together filled with love. Both were longtime residents of Colorado and enjoyed thousands of memories over their years together.

Family brought great joy to Gene and Dorothy. They relished every opportunity to spend time and gather memories with their descendents ‘all because two people fell in love.’ They will be missed but remain in the hearts of their children, Kathy (Ken) Allen of Arizona, Karen Smith of Colorado Springs and Kevin Hanson of Colorado Springs; their grandchildren, Caressa (Brandon) Himoff of New York, Nate (Meredith) Allen of Arizona, Brandon Smith and Breanna Smith, both of Colorado Springs; and their great granddaughters, Madison Allen and Ashlyn Allen of Arizona, and Callie Himoff and Tessa Himoff of New York.

They had a few ‘trips of a lifetime’ and enjoyed their travels to Hawaii, Alaska, the Yukon, England and Wales. They also enjoyed many trips in the United States with their family members.

Gene is survived by his sisters, Jan Peoples of Massachusetts, Shirley (Dell) Dennis of Michigan, and his brothers, Allan Hanson and Bud Hanson, both of California.

Gene and Dorothy were usually seen holding hands. They often told each other, ‘I love you, always have and always will.’ We invite friends and family to join their Celebration of Life at Swan-Law Funeral Chapel, 501 N. Cascade on Monday, March 16 at 2:00 pm. A reception will follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to La Puente Home, P.O. Box 1235, Alamosa, Colorado 81101 or to Southeast Colorado Special Olympics, 1763 S. 8th Street, Colorado Springs 80903.