Marilyn Ann Hansen

Marilyn Ann Hansen (nee Raddatz), age 88, of Peninsula was called to Heaven March 7, 2022. She is preceded in death by her husband R. Dewey Hansen and her brother Douglas Raddatz. Marilyn is survived by her sons, Bradley (Bowanne) Hansen and Gregory Hansen; sister-in-law Elizabeth Raddatz; niece Dr. Diana Raddatz; nephew Kirk Raddatz and her beloved grandchildren, Griffen and Allisen Hansen.
Born January 13th, 1934 in Detroit, Michigan, Marilyn graduated from Wayne State University with a B.S. in Mathematics and started her career as a teacher for the Detroit Public Schools in 1955. Marilyn always had a penchant for leadership roles and an adventurous spirit. President of Detroit Bicycle Club 1955-56 and led bicycle tours in the Swiss Alps. Weekends in 1957 were spent building a cabin with her brother Doug in Gaylord, Michigan. A place to pursue her new passion, skiing.
Attending a 1957 New Year's Eve party at Au Sable Ranch and Ski Resort in Gaylord, Michigan, Marilyn met the love of her life. Dewey sat down at the bar and asked her brother Doug if that cute girl over there was with somebody. Marilyn's dance card was full that night but she had taken notice of the handsome fella chatting with her brother. One weekend Dewey showed up with a coal stove for the cabin she was building. The two were married March 28th, 1959 and settled in Livonia, Michigan.
After having two children, employment moved the family to Peninsula, Ohio in 1969, where they began to put down roots and build a home. In 1976 Marilyn and Dewey purchased a plastic manufacturing business, Hudson Extrusions, Inc. She served as CFO and then President. With many years of hard work, the company has thrived as a family business with loyal employees and a commitment to the local community.
It's hard to comprehend how many people's lives Marilyn affected. Imagine throwing a stone into a pond and watching the ripples. Now imagine throwing the biggest stone that could be found into the pond and sit back and watch the ripples. Daily, her actions made countless positive ripples onto the lives of so many people. A big rock that made infinite ripples of kindness. That is the impact of Marilyn.
Active in the community in every possible way, Marilyn belonged to so many charitable organizations over the years we could not list them all. She served as a member of the Woodridge Local School Board for 42 years, Peninsula Home and Garden Club for 53 years and a swimming instructor at Peninsula Quarry for 20 years. She was a parishioner at Christ Church Episcopal for 53 years and served on the vestry and as treasurer.
Marilyn was passionate about skiing and the National Ski Patrol. She started in the Detroit Metro area in 1959 and was an active member of the NSP for more than 60 years, her national appointment #2681. She spent more than 25 years on the patrol at Holimont Ski Resort in western New York and 50 years on the patrol at Boston Mills Ski Resort in Peninsula. She made lasting friendships throughout the NSP and passed on the NSP legacy to her sons and love of skiing and compassion for people to her grandchildren.
Marilyn loved to travel, having visited every state in the United States and foreign countries: Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany, Russia, Finland, China and New Zealand including ski trips to the French Alps and helicopter skiing in British Columbia.
As lover of art in all forms, she particularly enjoyed making pottery and 3-Dimensional art using reclaimed and upcycled materials. She was a long-time member of the Cuyahoga Valley Art Center a non-profit visual arts organization which advocates for a greater understanding of the visual arts through the promotion of art education, exhibition and community engagement.
Marilyn was an avid supporter of the American Red Cross as a CPR instructor, First Aid instructor and swim instructor. She donated her O negative blood, the universal blood type, 392 times (a total of 49 gallons of blood!) during her lifetime. As a tribute to Marilyn please consider making a blood donation.
Calling hours to be held Friday April 29th 4:30-7:30 p.m. at Woodridge High School Gymnasium 4440 Quick Rd., Peninsula, Ohio 44264. A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held Saturday April 30th 1:00 p.m. at Christ Church Episcopal, 21 Aurora Street, Hudson, Ohio, The Reverend Charlotte Reed officiating, reception to follow in the Parish Hall.
She will be interred with her husband Dewey, a veteran of WWII, at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery. The family suggests, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in her memory to: The Woodridge Foundation, c/o Woodridge Local Schools, 4411 Quick Road, Peninsula, Ohio 44264 or Christ Church Episcopal, c/o Christ Church Episcopal 21 Aurora Street, Hudson, Ohio 44236. Arrangements by Johnson Romito Funeral Home, Hudson, Ohio.