Lars L.e. Hansen

1956 - 2017

Lars L.E. Hansen
January 30, 1956 - September 20, 2017
Santa Cruz
Lars was born on January 30, 1956. He was the only child of Dr. Richard Hansen, M.D. and Ethel (Nichols) Hansen. Although they lived in Berkeley, CA, Lars was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as his father was there temporarily at the University of Pennsylvania. Lars passed into the hands of our Heavenly Father on Wednesday, September 20, 2017 at his home in Santa Cruz.
Lars attended Berkeley schools and graduated from Berkeley High School. While Lars and his mother lived in Mexico City, Lars attended the Las Lomas Preparatory School. He later attended Cabrillo College.
Lars suffered from Legg-Perthes disease from ages eight through twelve. He had to wear a leg brace for five years and at times was in a wheelchair. He swore he would become a paper boy when he got off his brace. When he was on his paper route one day, he saw a longboard in a person's garage and offered to buy it. His father had made him an excellent swimmer, and when Lars was twelve years old he took his surfboard and went into the Pacific Ocean and taught himself to surf. (His mother was not aware of the terrible rip tides). Lars and David Hoyle surfed together later on and became good surfing buddies. They once skipped out of a wrestling tournament to go surfing, which upset David's father, Coach Hoyle, to no end.
He later became a professional surfer, and was known as "Hand Stand Hansen." He also served Santa Cruz County as a lifeguard at Capitola and Harbor Beach. He credited himself with 72 ocean rescues and assists, and two body recoveries. Lars also served Santa Cruz County on the Sheriff's Search and Rescue team.
Lars loved music, and hung out at the Longbranch in Berkeley during his high school years. There he met Eddie Mahoney, now a well known musician with a string of Top 40 hits and platinum albums in the 1970s and 1980s. Eddie was in a band called the Rockets. When Eddie formed his own band, Cindy FitzGerald, Eddie's girlfriend and eventual life time friend of Lars, named it Eddie Money. Rock legend, Bill Graham, discovered him soon thereafter. Lars toured with the Eddie Money Band in 1974-75 as a roadie, and shared lots of great stories about those times.
Lars also had a Screen Actors Gild card in his youth, and played the beach boy in the Clint Eastwood hit, "Sudden Impact". He also played a role with Peter O'Toole in the movie, "Creator", in 1985, and the locally famous movie, "Lost Boys". Lars suffered from otosclerosis, a hearing degenerative disorder, and the consequent fear of becoming totally deaf contributed to his depression.
Both of Lars's parents are old-line Americans. Lars was the 15th great grandson of the Pilgrim Richard Warren of the Mayflower.
Lars is survived by his loving parents, his beloved cat Lily, and a host of friends.
A public celebration of Lars's life will be held at Floral Park, 656 38th Avenue, in Santa Cruz at 1pm on Sunday, October 22, 2017. Following the Celebration, we encourage you to participate in the PADDLE OUT to scatter his ashes at 3pm. Participants should gather at the 36th Avenue stairs next to Jack O'Neill's house.


View the online memorial for Lars L.E. Hansen