LeRoy Duane "Sparky" Hanson

LeRoy "Sparky" Duane Hanson was born on December 8th, 1945, in Appleton, Minnesota. He grew up working hard on a farm with his brothers and sisters. He played football and graduated from Appleton High School in 1963 and spent time in the Army National Guard. He moved around with friends and family, working different jobs before meeting his future wife Lin (Longnecker) in 1971 and was married July 7th, 1973. They settled in Shakopee and had two daughters, Jessica and Jacquelin. He had a great love for horses and his hunting dogs. More commonly known as "Sparky", he worked long hours as a heavy equipment operator and proud Local 49er for over 40 years, working for Plehal Blacktopping, Tiller Corporation and Bryan Rock. He would tell people how much he loved his job "playing in the sandbox every day" and told his daughters, "Love what you do and you will never work a day in your life." He moved to Belle Plaine in 2005 where he lived until his passing.

Known as Roy to his family, he was proud to be one of 'Jenny's boys'. He loved getting together singing and playing his guitar with his family. He listened to Blue Grass any chance he got and often looked up his favorite songs and lyrics on the internet. He enjoyed sharing his love of hunting, fishing, playing golf and riding his Harley with his friends and family. One of his favorite things to do was play cards, especially cribbage, and he was always down for betting a couple of dollars and heckling the loser. His favorite saying he loved to teach his granddaughter (in jest) was, "Win if you can, lose if you must, but never ever fail to cheat," despite us knowing he was the most honest and giving man, and cheating was never an option.

Sparky could talk to anyone and enjoyed laughing and joking and enjoying a beer. He even trained one of his dogs to get a beer out of the fridge. Sparky always had a quick witty comeback or a joke to share if he could get through telling the joke without being consumed by laughter himself before getting to the punchline.

He loved life and all the best things life had to offer. His humor and charm never wavered even when spending time in the hospital, joking with the nursing staff, asking for backrubs or just making them laugh.

He was great at being inventive and loved to engineer his own solutions or projects, fix and build things. After helping his daughter with a woodworking project for a display table she wanted to build he got into woodworking. He often told people it was one of the best times of his life. When he wasn't tinkering around, he spent hours in his garage working on memory boxes and cutting boards for his family.

More than anything, he loved being a dad to Jessica and Jackie and Grandpa to Noah and Avery whom he cherished very much.

Even though our hearts are broken, we know he lived his life on his own terms, unapologetically, and in the end, he was able to peacefully pass away at home, the way he wanted, without fuss, without pain, without dragging out the inevitable suffering. He was deeply loved and is missed by all who knew him.

Visitation Friday, September 19, 2025, from 4-8 PM, at McNearney-Schmidt Funeral and Cremation, 1220 3rd Ave. East, Shakopee, MN, 952-445-2755. Visitation also Saturday, September 20, from 10-11 AM, followed by Memorial Service at 11:00 AM, at King of Glory Lutheran Church, 2488 Vierling Drive East, Shakopee. Reception will follow at the church.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to your favorite wildlife outdoor conservation group.