Curtis Ward Hanson

Curtis Ward Hanson passed away on December 3, 2023 in Winter Park, Florida.  Curt led an amazing and fun-filled life after battling cancer as a two-month old baby and dealing with various effects of the cancer and the treatments throughout his life.  He never complained and was always smiling and ready for a good time. Curtis grew up in Southern Oaks and at his third birthday party his neighbor, Ruth Littleford was there.  From then on she was his childhood “Brown Eyed” girl friend. Curtis attended Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando, graduating in 1985.  He then attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.  He was President of both his Freshman and Sophomore Classes and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business in  1991.  He was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and was its President his senior year.

After graduation from Pepperdine, he worked in Santa Monica at the Spa Store for Tom and Debra Healy who became great friends.  In 1992 he returned to Orlando and worked with the  Hanson Taylor Bellomo Herbert planning consulting firm as its Business Manager.  Upon his return to Orlando he met up again with Ruth Littleford and a few years later they married.  While the marriage ended in divorce,  Curt continued to care for and respect  Ruth for the rest of his life.  During this period Curt formed his own company,  Financial Systems Management, Inc and worked as a building contractor, land developer and property owner/manager.

Curt was very ambitious and decided to go to real estate school and get a real estate license.  He worked with Olde Town Brokers as a Realtor selling and managing property.  More recently he attended Barry University earning his Doctorate of Law and then passed the Bar Exam.  He was waiting for his Law License to be issued when he passed away.

Having survived cancer as a baby, Curt embraced life and appreciated every day as a gift and not to be taken for granted.  Consequently, he learned to fly and  had his private license. He loved to travel and made it a priority to travel as often as possible. His greatest memories and times were his travel adventures to locations around the world including China, Cuba, Israel, Europe and South America.   He had just recently returned from the Falkland Islands in southern Chile shortly before he passed away. One of his final pieces of advice was always “make time to travel, you won’t regret it.”

Curtis is survived by his parents, Barbara and Harlan Hanson, his brother Craig Hanson and sister-in-law Sarah Hanson, nephews Dylan Hanson and Parker Hanson, and his long time great friend and partner, Allen Huggins; along with  relatives in Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana and Missouri; and countless good friends. He will be inurned at First United Methodist Church Orlando with a family-only service. He would like any memorials to be given to Saint Jude Cancer Center or the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra.