Grace Worth Worrell Hanson, age 95, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday March 28, 2018 surrounded by the love and prayers of her family in La Crosse.

Grace was born Grace Worth Worrell on Mother’s Day, May 14, 1922 to Charles Edward Worrell and Effie May (Slate) Worrell of Petersburg, Virginia.  Her father Charles was a veteran of the Spanish-American War and a game warden for the Commonwealth of Virginia.  She grew up in Petersburg with her older sister, Ellen Montgomery (“Dolly”) Worrell.  Grace and Dolly were raised Catholic by their parents, though their mother was Episcopalian and her father was Methodist.  Grace was the valedictorian of St. Joseph High School and attended the Richmond Division of the College of William & Mary (now Virginia Commonwealth University) where she trained to be a teacher.

As a student teacher in Newport News, Virginia in 1943, short, sharp-witted Grace was introduced by an uncle to a tall, kind Army Lieutenant from Wisconsin named Ernest O. Hanson who was stationed at neighboring Ft. Monroe, Virginia.  It was the beginning of a lifelong love story that lasted 68 years.  Grace and Ernest married on October 16, 1943 at Ft. Monroe.  Ernest left the Army and moved with Grace to La Crosse in 1946 where they lived for the rest of their lives. Grace and Ernest raised seven children in their brick house on Market Street.  It was a home full of love, noise, and a menagerie of pets including dogs, cats, ducks, white mice, rabbits, and a hamster that died under unfortunate circumstances.  Grace’s mother Effie also lived with the family until her death in 1966.

Grace volunteered in church and community activities while supporting Ernest through his 65-year law practice.  During WWII she volunteered with the American Red Cross and watched for German submarines in the Chesapeake Bay with the U.S. Civil Patrol.  In La Crosse she was active at English Lutheran Church, in Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and as a volunteer at Gunderson Lutheran Hospital.  Grace loved to travel throughout her life, and was uncommonly fond of bologna.

Grace was predeceased by her husband Ernest, who passed away in 2011 at the age of 95.  Grace is survived by seven children, 14 grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren including:

Robert (“Tex”) Hanson of Marquette, Michigan, his wife Millie Mayhew and Millie’s four children; Charles Hanson of La Crosse, his wife Cheryl and their sons Eric and Matthew;

Beth (Hanson) Taborda of La Crosse and her daughter Adriana (Dan Williamson); David Hanson of Holmen, his wife Barbara and their children Erica (Adam) Keiper, Renee, and Zachary; Christine (Hanson) Machan of South Bend, Indiana, her husband Tim, and their sons Charlie (Amanda) and Tim; Debbie (Hanson) Bartel of La Crosse and her children Rachel (Dan) Parker, Anna, and Alex; and Kathy (Hanson) Storlie of La Crosse, her husband John and their children Clara (Trent) Ping, Grace, and Ben.

Visitation will be at Coulee Region Cremation Group, 133 Mason Street, Onalaska from 4pm to 6pm on Sunday April 1, 2018 and at First Congregational Church, 2503 Main St., La Crosse, at 9:30am on Monday April 2, 2018, followed by services at 11:00am.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made in Grace’s name to The Salvation Army, Pets for Vets, and Shriners Hospital for Children.

To view and download the memorial video, please copy the link below into your browser.

https://www.tributeslides.com/tributes/show/8JQFQQQ9DHBD7PBF?e=1