Roger Hansen

REV. DR. ROGER K. HANSEN, 86 ROCKFORD - Rev. Dr. Roger K. Hansen, 86, of Rockford, died May 28, 2015, at Fairhaven Christian Retirement Center. He was born May 3, 1929, in Rockford to Henry and Nona (Oliver) Hansen. Roger graduated from East High School, class of '46, and enlisted in the US Marine Corps. He served during the Korean War from 1950 to 1951. He graduated from Carthage College in 1952, and Chicago Lutheran Theological Seminary in 1955. Roger was ordained into Lutheran Ministry in May 1955. He served First Lutheran Church in Decatur, Luther Memorial in Springfield, and Alpine Lutheran in Rockford before he was called into active duty as a Lutheran Chaplain in 1966, with the Marines in Vietnam until 1967. Roger served as a chaplain at Corpus Christi Naval Air Station and then served First Lutheran Church in Moline and Edgebrook Lutheran Church in Chicago. He returned to active duty with the US Navy aboard the USS Juneau. He was called to serve Ridge Lutheran Church in Chicago, Immanuel Lutheran in Los Altos, CA, and House of Prayer Lutheran in Escondido, CA. He retired from House of Prayer and the US Navy in 1989. Roger reached the rank of Captain, USN after serving 321/2 years in the US Marine Corps and US Navy. Among all this, Roger earned his Master of Divinity Degree from Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago in 1958, and his Doctorate of Ministry Degree from LSTC in 1977. He was a member of Kiwanis Club, the Board of Directors for Augustana College, and the Camp Committee of Illinois Synod, ULCA. He also loved working as a caseworker for Hanna Boys Center, Sonoma, CA from 1990 to 2003, working with boys who had a difficult time in school and society. Roger moved back to Rockford in July 2003, where he volunteered at Swedish American Hospital. Roger loved golfing, fishing, biking, reading, watching old movies and the Cubs. He was a kind and gentle man as well as a beloved father and grandfather. He will be greatly missed. Roger is survived by his wife, Melicent Mae, whom he married in 1973; his children, William (Holly) Hansen, Cheryl (Michael) Erickson, Sara (Ron) Piethe, and Rev. John (Veronica) Beckman; twelve grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; cousins, Roberta Jacobson and Robert Oliver; and special friend, Irving Johnson. He is predeceased by his daughter, Kathleen Hart and son, Jim Beckman. A special heartfelt thank you to Dr. Joseph Ross and the exceptional staff at Fairhaven and Northern Illinois Hospice. Funeral service will be 11 a.m. Thursday, June 4, 2015, in Trinity Lutheran Church, 200 N. 1st St., Rockford, IL 61107, with Rev. Jay Quinn officiating. Private family burial in Burritt Township Cemetery. Visitation will be from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. prior to the service in church. Memorials may be made to Carthage College, 2001 Alford Park Dr., Kenosha, WI 53140, Trinity Lutheran Church, or Hanna Boys Center, 17000 Arnold Dr., Sonoma, CA 95476. To share a memory or condolence, visit olsonfh.com.