Obituary of Phillip Abraham Hansen

Phil Hansen of Lacey--beloved husband, father, papa, brother, uncle, and friend--passed away June 29, 2020, due to complications following a recent surgery.

Phillip Abraham Hansen was born the ninth of ten children to Stephen and Iress (McFerren) Hansen in Kellogg, Idaho, on January 23, 1939. When he was 15, he ran away from home and hitchhiked around the country. His boyhood had been rough, so he walked into a U.S. Air Force recruiting office a week after his 17th birthday, lied about his age, and walked out with an enlistment.

Phil’s assignments in fuels management took him around the world, including Thailand, North Carolina, and Okinawa. On September 3, 1965, he married Stacia Thompson of Connell, Washington, and she joined him for additional assignments to California, Spain, and eventually McChord AFB. The couple welcomed two children, a son, Stephen Ray, and a daughter, Jennifer Renee.

In 1977, Phil graduated from Saint Martin’s University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, and retired from military service. He went on to complete a master’s in public administration and a master’s in business administration. In his second career, he worked primarily as a Cost Reimbursement Analyst at Washington State Aging & Adult Services, a division of DSHS, retiring on July 1, 2011. At AAS, Phil audited nursing homes, ferreting out waste, fraud, and abuse. His co-workers knew they could count on him for a joke to lighten the mood—or a fatalistic prediction about the Seahawks’ or Mariners’ next game or perhaps the team’s season in its entirety. Nevertheless, he was ever the faithful fan, never missing an opportunity to cheer when things went well or to curse the manager, the players, the referees, the announcers, the league, the league commissioner, the sponsors, and the television itself when Seattle lost.

 

On August 31, 1994, he married Marilyn (Overman) Martin. They shared a love of the American West, the open road, and good tales well told. They traveled to ghost towns, mountaintops, and ocean beaches, collecting memories and creating inside jokes by the dozen. One of them would only need to mention a place name or say the first two words of a random phrase or a line from a movie, and they both would double over with laughter and need to explain the whole thing. After Phil was diagnosed with diabetes in 1996, a series of other health complications followed. Every step of the way, Marilyn was like his health magician, preparing approved foods, organizing medications, scheduling a retinue of care providers—and generally fussing over her “Hunka.” Her careful attention likely bought Phil an extra ten years of good living.

 

Phil was preceded in death by all his siblings: Charles, Nina, Rosalie, Beatrice, Ray, Roy, Jerry, Starr, and Karen. To mourn his passing and to celebrate his life, Phil leaves behind wife, Marilyn; son, Steve Hansen, his wife Robyn, and their children, Cole, Emily, Kristin, and Teddy; daughter, Jennifer Hansen, her husband Richard Hines, and their children, Brennan, Allegra, and Ivy; and numerous nephews, nieces, cousins, friends, and fellow travelers.

 

A Note from the Family: Phil was a natural helper, the one people turned to when they needed a pick-me-up, a loan, or just advice about life. He supported countless family members, friends, and co-workers over the years. Phil may have had a curmudgeonly exterior, but under the shell was a man with a sharp memory who was deeply interested in others. He might see someone once, then meet up again years or even decades later and, without missing a beat, ask a follow-up question about something that person had said was important to them the first time they met. And Phil loved giving gifts and spoiling his family at Christmas. He had a knack for choosing just the right presents for each person and stuffing their stockings with things that ranged from practical to laughable.

 

While Phil is no longer with us in body, he can never truly be gone from us, for we carry forward all these things we love about him into our future.

 

We wish to thank the staff at Providence Mother Joseph and Providence St. Peter Hospital for the special care they took with Phil.

 

The family welcomes memorial donations in Phil’s name. We suggest a veterans’ support organization, an animal welfare organization, or any charity of your choosing.

 

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