Marilyn Lee Hansen

Marilyn Lee Fremont Hansen was born to Everett Thomas and Martha (Westring) Fremont in Waterloo, IA. She graduated from Waterloo East High School and went on to attend Iowa State Teachers College (now known as the University of Northern Iowa). There, she met Jon Edward Hansen, and they were united in marriage on February 4, 1960 in Waterloo, IA. Rumor has it they met when she was a dancer in a production of "Kiss Me Kate" and he was in the orchestra pit... undoubtedly looking up her dress. Marilyn loved all English classes while attending college, particularly English Literature. After graduating from college, she worked as a high school educator, particularly in the subject she loved. She once shared that her one regret as a teacher was the day John F. Kennedy died. It was announced over the intercom, and she wished she had asked her students to get out their composition books and just start writing... thoughts, feelings, how this would impact them and our country. This was not for a grade. She would never read them. They were for her students to take with them moving forward as they became adults. She truly felt this was an opportunity lost. She ultimately relocated to Dickinson, ND, where Jon took his first university job. There, she was a substitute teacher and was a dog mom to Charlie and Lucy... yes, she named them after the Peanuts characters. Jon and Marilyn moved back to the Cedar Valley in the late 1960's and adopted their daughter, Inger Christine Hansen (now Elliott). Marilyn was rather dismayed when they arrived at the adoption agency and she was handed a baby girl, dressed only in a diaper, and was given a 3 x 5 instruction card. Luckily, she had brought a number of blankets, and she received instructions! She wished she had received a second instruction card for the teen years, but it did not exist. From that point on, she was a homemaker, with occasional jobs that piqued her interests, not only for what she did, but the people with whom she worked. Her favorite was at Maggie's Youth Shop in downtown Cedar Falls, but let's be honest-it was for the employee discount. She also loved to play tennis, meet with friends to play bridge, and was an active member in AAUW and TTT. As for the bridge, it morphed into lunch with her friends. I know she missed those get-togethers, particularly after she and Jon made a more permanent move to Minnesota after Jon's retirement. The things that made her the happiest in Minnesota were her grandchildren, (Jon) Maxwell and Emerson Corona. She was often doing crafts with them at the cabin and always made sugar cookies at Christmastime for them to decorate. She also attended many, many football, basketball and lacrosse games, watching her grandchildren do the things they loved the most. Unfortunately, it became obvious that she started suffering from memory problems, and Alzheimer's chose the course of the rest of her life. She is survived by her daughter, Inger Hansen Elliott; son-in-law, Jason Elliott, both of Eagan, MN; grandson, Max Corona of Boulder, CO; granddaughter, Emerson Corona of Eagan, MN; and her brother- and sister-in-law, Darrell and Ann Fremont of Des Moines. She is preceded in death by her husband, Jon, her parents, Everett and Martha (Westring) Fremont; her father- and mother-in-law, T. Merlin and Susan Hansen; and a brother, Gary Fremont. There will be a Celebration of Life on Friday, June 14, 2024, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Richardson Funeral Home located at 615 Main Street, Cedar Falls, IA 50613. Afterward, please join us for food, drinks, and the joyful sharing of memories just down the street at The Other Place, 209 Main Street. We would love to see you and spend some quality time together. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any memorials be directed to the Cedar Bend Humane Society, 1166 West Airline Highway, Waterloo, IA 50703. It would mean the world to her given her love of the little furry ones she had in her life. Thank you.

Marilyn Lee Hansen

December 10, 1940 - February 5, 2024