Merle LeRoy Hansen

Merle LeRoy Hansen, 98 of Brayton, died on Monday, Sept. 1, 2025, at Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic. He was born northeast of Walnut, on Aug. 6, 1927, to Henry F. and Elvina (Christensen) Hansen. The next spring they moved to what was named the Birke Farm on Ridge Road, it was a half mile north of the Monroe number 6 school that he attended for all eight years. Merle had three brothers, and three sisters and all preceded him in death. Two of the brothers and one sister had a different mother who died early from the flu in 1918.
Memories of his childhood in Merle's own words: "In 1938, my father bought a 1928 Model A Ford for my sister when she started high school in Walnut, which was about seven miles away. The next year it was passed down to my other sister and then me and then my brother after I graduated from Walnut High School in 1944. It was a good old Ford. I was told that I couldn't enlist in the service because the family already had two sons and a son-in-law enlisted. When I turned 18 on August 6,1945, that was also the day of the first bomb. I had a passion for playing baseball and played catcher for Jacksonville in the Western Iowa Baseball League for a few years."
In the fall of 1943, Merle's dad bought a farm two miles away, which became the home farm. The family moved there in the spring of 1944. On Sept. 16, 1949, Merle was united in marriage to Ardell Hansen in Kimballton; she was the daughter of Ole J and Mary (Mathisen) Hansen. They lived on this farm and had four children: David, Richard, Beverly and Carolyn. They were married 61 years when Ardell passed away in December of 2010. In 1960 the family moved to a farm west of Exira where he started playing fast pitch softball for the Exira Merchants. The family moved in 1964 to the farm in Brayton. He served one term as mayor of Brayton, also belonged to the fire department and was fire chief for a couple years. He retired farming when he was 70; but continued helping his son Dave on the farm until his early 90's. Merle stayed on the farm until he passed. Surviving are his four children and their spouses, 11 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m., Monday, Sept. 8 at the Schmidt Family Funeral Home in Exira with Rev. Loren Christensen officiating. Burial will follow at the Oakfield Cemetery near Brayton, Iowa. Visitation with the family present will be from 9 a.m. until the time of services at the funeral home on Monday. A luncheon will be held following the committal service at the Brayton Town Hall in Brayton.
Memorials can be made in his name to the Oakfield Cemetery and may be left or mailed to the funeral home at PO Box 523 - Atlantic, Iowa 50022.