Howard Hansen, 100, of Forest Park, died at his home, surrounded by his family, on July 5, 2024 after a brief illness. He grew up in Marquette, Michigan, resided for many years in Oak Park where he and his wife Charlis raised their family, and also lived in Florida, North Carolina and Kansas. About a decade ago he moved from Kansas to Forest Park to be near his sons. He was a frequent customer at Louie’s on Madison Street in Forest Park and even after his 100th birthday in March, he walked the three blocks there from his home, stopping to rest at each bench on the route.
He was an active member of Third Unitarian Church, where he married Charlis in the 1950s, and he was a founding member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Swannanoa Valley in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Active in the Civil Rights Movement, he contributed to other social justice and environmental causes. He and Charlis were signatories on the letter published in 1964 in the Oak Leaves titled, “The Right of All People to Live Where They Choose.”
He retired from two careers. First he worked on Chicago’s West Side as a field representative for the Social Security Administration and then as a Cobol programmer after retiring as a field rep. He served stateside in the U.S. Army during WWII as an instructor.
After Charlis died, Howard became the husband of Autumn Earth (maiden name Ballentine), and later JoAn (previous last name Staudinger, maiden name Wilmon). He is survived by his sons, Frank and Howard (Buddy); his daughters in law, Rebecca Irwin and Patricia Williams; and his two grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at Third Unitarian Church in Chicago on Sept. 28 at 2 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Third Unitarian Church’s Austin Scholars Program.
The family would like to thank the Neurology and Palliative Care Teams at Loyola Medical Center in Maywood, Suncrest Hospice, and Amada Senior Care for their wonderful support and aid during Howard’s final days.