Obituary
Robert (Bob) R. Hanson
Robert Hanson died March 15, in Mulder Health Care Facility West Salem, Wisconsin, just a few days after his 87th birthday.
Robert Roman Hanson (Bob) was born to his parents Earl Hanson and Helen (Sonsalla) on in 1938 in the small town of Independence, Wisconsin. His father left the family while Bob was still a boy. Although Earl would later try to return, Helen would not take him back. She feared Earl’s womanizing and alcoholism would leave her family with nothing and instead she reared Bob as a single mom.
Raised a Catholic, Bob went to school at the Saint Peter and Paul parish in Independence. He struggled academically and because of this he was often treated poorly by his teachers, with one nun telling him, “ he was the dumbest student she ever had and he wouldn’t amount to anything.” He still tried his hardest and managed to graduate High school. He carried that criticism for the rest of his life, always trying to prove that nun wrong. It turned out, Bob was mechanically gifted, which served him well in so many areas of life.
Bob started his career in plumbing at a job in a local company in Arcadia. In 1966, not liking being paid “starvation” wages, he joined Local Union 31, later Local 434, and started working at Niebuhr Plumbing in La Crosse. As a plumber, he mainly worked in the La Crosse area, but at times, in other parts of Wisconsin and even in Iowa and Minnesota. Despite often difficult hours, knee, and back problems, he worked until 1997, two years after his doctors recommended he should retire.
Besides his job as a plumber, Bob was a great “Do-It-Yourselfer” He could fix anything around the house from additions to electrical to roofing. No job was beyond his skill set. He was also a car mechanic doing his and his families maintenance work including oil changes and even total engine rebuilds. He also did body work on cars and painted a number of them.
In 1961, Bob married Shirley Kotlarz from Arcadia Wisconsin. His wife was very close to her three sisters, Jane Symiczek, Louise Feuling, and Sue Gunderson. Bob was friends with his sisters-in-law and their husbands, especially Edward “Porky” Symiczek. So much so, that between the late sixties and early seventies they all took two long car trips together out west. They visited: Disney Land, Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam, the Badlands, Mexico and numerous other attractions along the way.
Bob and Shirley had three children, Debra, Cindy and David. The family lived above Bob’s Mother at first. But, after daily drives between Independence and La Crosse, for his job proved too much, in 1970 he bought and moved to a house in La Crosse. After the move, the family often went back to spent weekends in Independence and Arcadia
Despite money sometimes being tight, Bob took his family on many summer trips. They made multiple journeys to the Wisconsin Dells, riding river tours, visiting Fort Dells and playing the arcades. Trips to the Chicago area included going to the Museum of Science and Industry and Six Flags Great America in Gurney. At Six Flags, much fun was had riding the log flumes and enjoying the shows which featured the crazy antics of Taz, the Tasmanian devil from Looney Toons who was Bob’s favorite. The family visited Washington D.C. going to Arlington, the Washington Monument, the White House, the Smithsonian and more. They even went to Saint Louis and visited the Gateway Arch and the Meramec Caverns.
Following his Catholic upbringing and the example of his mother, Bob was a kind and caring soul. He could even be quietly heroic. Before he died he told his daughter-in-law a story that he’d kept secret for years. Bob saved one of his granddaughter Amie’s friends from a kidnapping and later saw the man on the news while working in Milwaukee. He was a really bad guy who had a record of hurting children. This was right out front of Cindy’s house when the girls were very young and still riding tricycles.
Bob enjoyed photography and left behind many pictures and films of his family, friends and the great outdoors. He was also a great outdoorsman himself. He loved hunting deer with a bow, as well as, with a gun, with family and friends. While he did win the big buck contest with the hunting group he was with twice,10 point and 9 point bucks respectively, he preferred the sharing of time with friends and putting venison on the table. He also enjoyed fishing, first with Porky and friends, then his children and finally with his good friend Marv Sage, whom he met during his plumbing career. Also, later in life, he took up target shooting and was a member of the West Salem Rod and Gun Club up until two years ago.
Bob also enjoyed a little gambling. He would sometimes bet on the greyhound races in Wisconsin Dells. He and his wife, Shirley, went on many trips to Casinos and River Boats after their retirement. They always played strictly for fun, limiting themselves on how much they could lose and extending their time by playing low cost machines.
Unfortunately, Bob faced many struggles in his life. His middle daughter, Cindy, had a long fight with Wagner’s, an autoimmune disease, and died younger than she should have because of it. Bob had many health problems of his own and overcame many difficulties. He entered Brookdale Assisted Living in La Crosse after his wife Shirley stopped living in their home because of her own ill health. (Shirley died before him in June of last year.) He later entered Mulder Health after needing surgery for another health issue. Despite these issues, he was tough and lived longer than many people thought he would.
Bob was a kind hearted man who helped so many family, friends, and strangers. He loved to share time with family and friends listening to and telling stories. Long a fan of Johnny Cash and country music in general, he found solitude listening to him, in his final days.
Bob Hanson is survived by his children, Debby Hanson, and David (Sue) Hanson; his three grandchildren, Amie (Mathew) Sittenauer (daughter of Cindy and Doug Gunderson), Jeremy Gunderson (son of Cindy and Doug Gunderson) and Emily Hanson (daughter of Dave and Sue Hanson) and his great-granddaughter, Tabitha Gilles. (daughter of Amie Sittenauer and James Gilles).
Uncle Bob, I sure will miss you. I really enjoyed our time we spent together and am so grateful for that time with both you and Shirley. Rest in peace. Love you!