Darrel Wayne Hansen

Darrel Wayne Hansen - October 13, 1922 - March 25, 2013 Darrel Hansen, 90, of Hill City, died March 25, 2013, in Bozeman, MT, with his son and daughter by his side. He had made a 'gentleman's agreement' with death and met it as he had lived--with grace and equanimity. He was born on October 13, 1922, in Spencer, IA, the only child of Roland and Alice Cox Hansen. The family settled in Newell, SD, where Darrel spent his boyhood. Upon graduating from Newell High School, he attended the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City where he earned his degree in Civil Engineering. During these years, he and his friends experienced adventures and misadventures as they hitchhiked around the country. An introduction to Florence Taylor of Rapid Valley captured Darrel's attention and limited his wanderings to riding horseback from Newell to Rapid Valley during their courtship. They were married on April 14, 1944, in Seattle, WA, where Darrel worked for Boeing Aircraft prior to enlisting in the Navy. Near the end of World War II, he served a tour in the Philippines as a PT boat captain. Darrel's dedication to his engineering career allowed him and his family to live in a variety of remote and interesting locations throughout the west. His vast knowledge and experience with hydroelectric projects, roads, and bridges took them to Keyhole, WY; Pactola, SD; Flaming Gorge, UT; Morrow Point, CO; Wild Horse, NV; construction of the impressive Auburn-Forest Hill bridge, CA; and the third power plant at Grand Coulee Dam, WA. After the completion of Pactola Dam, he surveyed the new road around the reservoir to Silver City. A devoted and loving father, Darrel read to his children often and spent hours helping them with homework. He taught and called square dances for many years. He was involved in Boys and Girls Scouts and 4-H projects and encouraged his children in camping skills, marksmanship, fishing, and hunting. Upon retiring in 1977, Darrel, Florence, and their son Taylor designed and built their home on the Mystic Road at the base of Red Fern Mountain in the Black Hills. Darrel was then free to fulfill his dream of training horses and being a cowboy. He and Florence loved nothing more than to ride the hills pushing cattle for their ranching family, friends, and neighbors. Multi-talented to the end, Darrel kept his hands busy with rawhide braiding and leathercrafts. He made beautiful one-of-a-kind belts, chaps, and chinks as well as bosals, rope halters, and mecates. He kept his mind agile by solving problems in spherical trigonometry and his fascination with astronomy. An avowed political conservative, he was an active supporter of the NRA. Darrel is preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Florence; his parents, and his sisters-and-brothers-in-law. He is survived by his daughter, Charmian McLellan, and her husband, Jim, of Boulder, WY; his son, Taylor Hansen, and his wife, Elizabeth Healy, of Bozeman, MT, as well as his two grandsons, Max and Simon Hansen of Seattle, WA, and Bozeman, MT, respectively, of whom he was intensely proud. Surviving also are numerous nieces and nephews on the Taylor side. He is deeply missed by his family. 'MABUHAY' from Darrel to all those he loved. As per Darrel's request, no memorial services are pending.