Mildred Green Hansen

March 1, 1926 - April 25, 2022

Mildred “Millie” Hansen was born in East St. Louis, Illinois and grew

up in Cambria, Illinois. She was the daughter of George Green and Merle

Wolfe Green, and sister of Arthur Green. She was raised by her

grandparents Henry and Nora Green, and attended Herrin High School.

As a teen, she sang in choirs and played piano in the church. The

friendships she formed in high school were lifelong.

Following high school graduation, Millie moved to Chicago and worked

as a switchboard operator. There she joined the Baptist Church and sang in

a women’s trio. On a visit to Los Angeles, she met up with her brother and

mother, and decided not to return to Chicago. At the age of 20, she met

Don Hansen at the creamery where they both worked. She described her

courtship with him thus: “He was a handsome flirt, and I thought possibly

he was a bad boy. He brought me ice cream and when he asked me out I

told him I was a good girl. We went roller skating, he was a gentleman,

and two months later we were married.” They were happily married for 66

years. They lived in Glendale where their first daughter, Lindy, was born,

then moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where their son David and daughter

Donna were born. They were active in church, and joined a bowling

league. A job promotion led them back to California in 1961 where Don

went to work in finance and Millie joined the secretarial pool, both at

Lockheed. They settled in Willow Glen and purchased a modern Eichler

home. They became active members of the Campbell Baptist Church and

later the First Baptist Church of San Jose, where Millie sang in the choir.

Millie prided herself on having a career, and she rose through the ranks at

Lockheed to become Executive Secretary in the office of Vice President of

Finance, which she fondly referred to as “Mahogany Row.” Every year she

proudly displayed her “Zero Defects” award, Lockheed’s highest accolade.

On their daily commute, Don drove and Millie worked the NY Times

crossword puzzle, her favorite activity. They retired together in 1987, and

shortly thereafter moved to Rancho Murieta. While Don enjoyed golfing,

Millie volunteered one day a week at Kaiser Hospital, and kept it up for 20

years. She had a heart for service. Never one to sit idle, she also took a job

delivering “missed” newspapers in Rancho Murieta, and soon became

affectionately known by her neighbors as “the Bee Lady.” In their

retirement years, she and Don travelled all over the U.S., visited and hosted

long-time friends, and toured the Middle East and Europe.

After Don’s death, and while in her mid-80’s, her kids bought her an

iPad, on which she played numerous word games and stayed in touch with

friends via Facebook. She was so attached to her iPad that once, when

hospitalized in her 90’s, her first question to the doctor was “do you have

WiFi here?” It was her link to the outside world, especially when

homebound in her final years. With her grandson Barry on speed dial to

answer tech questions, she was never afraid to tackle the intricacies of the

iPad, iPhone, Facebook or computer games. She was definitely a lifelong

learner!

Throughout the decades, Millie’s home was the hub of family gatherings

for all occasions. She enjoyed her family and home life, and was happiest

when surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

She loved hearing all about their lives and enjoyed attending their

numerous recitals, plays, graduations, and other activities. Millie was

outgoing and interested in people’s lives. She could sit on a park bench

with a stranger, and within five minutes learn their entire life story. To the

end of her life she was extremely organized and kept a meticulous home.

She loved Hallmark movies, because as she herself said, “I love a happy

ending.” With a long and healthy life so fully lived, we think she got it.

Millie is survived by her children Lindy (Chuck) Mallonee of Roseville,

David (Karen) Hansen of Fresno, and Donna (Marco) Alpert of Fair Oaks,

grandchildren Heather (Ed) Chapin, Barry (Jen) Duggan, Nicole Hansen,

and great-grandchildren Jordan Chapin, Ethan (Abby) Chapin, Evan

Chapin, Abbie Chapin, Ryan Chapin, Chloe Stephens, Lucas Herrera,

Brody Duggan, and Sawyer Duggan.

Services June 4, 11:00 a.m. at Bayside Church, Folsom.