Watch Jean's Memorial Service

Jean Marie (Bjerken) Hanson was born December 18, 1931, in Mahnomen, MN. She passed peacefully at Mahnomen Health Center under the loving care of family, staff, and HIA Hospice on February 22, 2026.

She was born on her family farm to Gustav and Nettie (Olson) Bjerken, the seventh of eleven children. Music played an important role in their home, and Jean fondly remembered how her father and several of her siblings were gifted musicians. She often shared memories of her dad hitching the horse to the sleigh for winter trips into town, their hands and feet kept warm with rocks heated in the fire. Jean attended Mahnomen Public Schools and, during her senior year, was crowned Homecoming Queen before graduating with the Class of 1949.

In May of 1949, Jean married Robert F. Hanson. A year later, they moved to East Grand Forks, MN, where Robert completed his college degree. In 1952, they returned to Mahnomen, and Robert began working at the family-owned bank. It was there that they made their home and raised their five children.

Jean was a devoted wife and mother and an active member of her community. She spent many years teaching Sunday and weekday church school. Gifted in beauty and hair care, she also volunteered at the Mahnomen Nursing Home beauty shop, where she lovingly cut and styled hair for residents. She also enjoyed doing hair for her family, neighborhood children, and anyone hoping for a perm. Jean was a proud member of the American Legion Auxiliary and a lifetime member of First Lutheran Church in Mahnomen.

Jean had a deep love for gardening and used the crabapples from her own tree to make her family's favorite jelly. In her spare time, she enjoyed attending her children's sporting events, going to the movies, quilting, golfing, traveling, and, most of all, spending time with her family. She was a wonderful homemaker, cook and baker, and her home was always a welcoming place. Friends of her children often recalled how Jean warmly greeted them and made sure they never left hungry. She was also known for her generous spirit, feeding the "hobos" and others less fortunate who rode the rails in the 1950s and 60s as they were told they could find a meal at her house. She would even pack them a nice lunch and tuck in a quarter for coffee. In her later years, Jean enjoyed playing bingo at her residence at the Health Center and visiting with fellow residents and staff.

Jean is survived by her children: Stephen (LuAnn) Hanson, Cloquet, MN, Gary (Nancy) Hanson, El Paso, TX, Diane Hanson, Aberdeen, WA, Paul Hanson, Chandler, AZ, and David Hanson, Mahnomen; seven grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; three sisters, Lorraine Peterson, Mahnomen, Darlene McArthur and Gloria Bjerken-Freund, both of Detroit Lakes, MN; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Robert; five brothers: Gilbert, Julius, Art, Melvin, Lloyd; two sisters, Bernice Backen and Norma Johnson; and several extended family members.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at 2:00p.m., with a time of gathering one hour before, at First Lutheran Church in Mahnomen.