Dr. Gary Arnold Hanson (69), a long-time resident of Aliquippa, PA, and his fiancée, Mary Margaret Gonzales (62), were killed on Monday, April 4 in a house fire in their home in Aliquippa. He is survived by his daughter, Margaret Laura Hanson (36) and her fiancé, Michael Butler (40), both currently of New York, N.Y.; his mother, Lorice Halseth (91) of Jackson, CA; a niece, Mary Hanson (32) and her son and his grand-nephew, Gage Connor Hanson-Messick (4) also of Jackson. He was predeceased by his father, Charles James Hanson, in 2002; his son, Philip Charles Hanson, in 2004; and his brother, Dennis Charles Hanson, in 2012. His second wife and the mother of his children, Elizabeth Stephenson, also predeceased him, in 2003. Dr. Hanson was, until his death, the owner of and sole practitioner at Gary A. Hanson MD, Inc. in Weirton since 1982. A beloved internist and cardiologist, he took care of several generations of the town's family, serving as doctor, therapist and friend in nearly equal measures. By nature he was painfully shy (it may surprise some who knew him), but in his practice and with people with whom he was comfortable, the "real Gary" was consistently present with wry and often ribald jokes. His sense of humor was almost as well known as his clinical excellence as a doctor. Dr. Hanson graduated from Loma Linda University in 1965 with a B.S. in Chemistry. He moved to the Boston area shortly thereafter and worked as a chemist for a year before attending Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD, from which he graduated in 1975. After completing a residency in Cincinnati, OH, he briefly practiced in Cape Girardeau, MO, before moving to practice in Weirton. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Dr. Hanson was a talented woodworker and had an entire shop in his basement for decades, from which he turned out his daughter's very first desk and much of the wooden furniture that passed through various rooms over time at his home in Aliquippa, nicknamed "Happenstance". He also loved to cook and made excellent Indian, Italian and Chinese food; homemade bread; and anything else for which he could find a recipe and the ingredients. His humor, his medical and other advice, his cooking and his ability to keep even the most earnest from taking themselves too seriously will be missed and impossible for many to replace in their lives. Friends and family will be received on Saturday, April 9, 2016 from 1:00-5:00 p.m. at Greco-Hertnick Funeral Home in Weirton, W.V. Interment will be at the convenience of the families of Dr. Hanson and Ms. Gonzales. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to Shatterproof, 101 Merritt 7 Corporate Park, 1st Floor, Norwalk, CT 06851, or online at www.shatterproof.org, where guests to the page may click "Donate" at the middle top menu bar for a secure form.
