Eugene Ancil Hanson

Eugene Gene A. Hanson, 74, passed away peacefully on June 19, 2012. Gene was born in rural Hope, North Dakota Oct. 4, 1937 to Arthur and Edith Hanson. The sixth of seven children, Gene was extremely close to his siblings Eunice, John, Kenneth, Carol, Ellen and Richard. He and his family lived and worked on the family farm, which continues today. Gene graduated in 1955 from Portland High School in Portland, ND. As a young man, he also spent five summers fighting fires as a member of the U.S. Forest Service and honorably served his country in the U.S. Army from 1957 to 1959. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering from North Dakota State University in June 1963 and married Connie Pillatzke on June 15, then moved to Seattle where Gene began his career as a structural engineer at The Boeing Company. In 1965, during a down time at Boeing, Gene worked at Pratt Whitney in Hartford, Connecticut before being recalled to Boeing and the Pacific Northwest in 1967. He was a wonde father to their two daughters, Beth and Mary, and loved his family dearly. An expert in wing and strut design, Gene was a proud member of the Incredibles, the team of Boeing employees who made aviation history with the design and build of the 747 the largest civilian airplane in the world at that time. The 747 remains the Queen of the Skies even today. Genes Boeing career always centered on wide body airplanes, and he spent eight years as an engineer within the Airplane-on-Ground or AOG service organization, working with airlines that experienced airplane accidents or incidents. His work with the AOG team took him around the globe to dozens of countries including India and Pakistan places he never dreamed hed visit as a boy. Gene retired from Boeing in 1995 but continued to enjoy the invaluable friendships of his Boeing buddies. Gene and Connie spent their retirement years adoring and spoiling their three grandchildren, traveling, and spending time with wonde friends. Gene was an avid reader and crossword puzzler. He also had a wicked sense of humor, and as a proud Scandinavian, was always up for a good or really bad - Ole and Lena joke. He led by example and personified the value of hard work, commitment and integrityto dream big and make those dreams come true, and to put family above all. His legacy is deep, and his death leaves a hole that can never be filled. He will be greatly missed but live in our hearts forever. He is survived by the love of his life and wife of 49 years, Connie and his beloved family: daughters Beth (Sean) Kerrick of Puyallup and Mary Hanson (Geoff Knutzen) of Woodinville; grandsons Brian and Andy Kerrick and granddaughter Kristine Knutzen; his sisters Carol (Orland) Niemeier of Buxton, ND and Ellen (David) Sundberg of Fergus Falls, MN; 12 nephews and seven nieces. He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Eunice and brothers John, Kenneth and Richard. Please sign Genes online guestbook here or at www.legacy.com. Announcement: In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to your favorite charity in Genes memory. Prayers and Masses are also appreciated.