Lorraine Hansen

Lorraine Catherine Hansen, age 96 of Eau Claire, passed away on Friday, April 30, 2021 at Heritage Court Memory Care in Eau Claire, WI.

Lorraine was born in Eau Claire on November 2, 1924 to Lawrence and Sadie (Cass) Pederson. She was a homemaker who enjoyed baking, especially pies. If she couldn’t sleep, Lorraine would get up in the middle of the night and read.
In her younger years, she enjoyed canning, planting both a vegetable and floral gardens and square dancing and waltzing. When the kids were older, Lorraine and her husband Art enjoyed camping, fishing and the outdoors. Lorraine was a farmer, helping out anywhere on the farm. She also enjoyed traveling to the ocean and collecting seashells. One of her joys in life was traveling to see her two children who lived out of state. In her forties, Lorraine picked up the game of golf and she loved it. She soon after joined a golf league. While playing cards at the senior center, she met Delmar Hansen. They later married. Lorraine also enjoyed playing the slot machines at the casino.

She was an amazing woman who was very independent. Her age never held her back.

Lorraine is survived by her husband Delmar and his family; Lorraine’s children: Linda Cox of Goose Creek, SC, Laura Herrick of Augusta, Ronald (Wanda) Ruppelt of Merkel, TX and Sharon (Dennis) Nelson of Eau Claire; grandchildren: Carol, Connie, Tim, Michael, Kelly, Jodi, Jerald, Krystal, Vivian, Brad, David, Chad and Adam; 28 great-grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and nieces and nephews.

Preceding her in death are her parents; husbands Douglas Bellows (killed in action, 1944), Arthur Ruppelt and Byron Youngren; son and daughter-in-law Michael (Lavonne) Ruppelt; son-in-law’s: Larry Cox and Gerald Herrick; grandchild Deborah Ruppelt; brother and sister-in-law Fred (Esther) Ruppelt; and sister and brother-in-law Ruth (Gordy) Woodford.

Memorial services will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday May 16, 2021 at Stokes, Prock & Mundt Funeral Chapel, 535 S. Hillcrest Parkway, Altoona. Visitation will be held 1 hour prior at the funeral home. Burial will be at Forest Hill Cemetery in Eau Claire.

The family offers its lasting gratitude to the lovely, gracious caring staff at Heritage Court Memory Care for her care in the last months of her life, made all the more challenging by the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the staff of Visiting Angels and St. Croix Hospice who also kindly guided her on parts of her journey.