It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Mrs. Betty Hansen, wife of former Midland president, Rev. Dr. Carl Hansen. Betty passed away on August 22, 2020, and Dr. Hansen shared her obituary with us below. Our hearts and prayers go out to the Hansen family.

Carl Sanburg’s poem “Fog” speaks of fog coming in on little cat feet to sit silently looking over harbor and city before moving on.   Death comes in on silent feet as well…and so it came to our house early in the morning on August 22, when my beloved wife died in her sleep.   It was not a total surprise.  Although not hospitalized, Betty had a nagging cough for many days which she blamed on seasonal allergies that were made worse by smoke from fires in the Rockies west of Denver.  But Betty, being Betty, stubborn Swede to the end, refused to let me take her to our doctor.  Even though she was finding it hard to keep food down and was clearly growing weaker day by day, she was convinced it would pass.  On Friday evening before we went to bed as I tried once more to let me take her Lutheran Hospital to find relief, she said “I will take care of myself.”   They were her last words to before we turned out the lights, and in a way, I guess she did just that.

Our wonderful, loving family of four children, eight grandchildren, and supportive spouses have gathered around me in recent days and together on Thursday, August 27, we'll celebrate her in the sanctuary of Bethany Lutheran Church, Cherry Hills Village, Colorado. Due to the “silent feet” of COVID, this was a family-only service.

To honor Betty, memorial gifts may be sent to the Dr. Carl Hansen Scholarship Fund at Midland University or to a charity or your choice.  At Midland, Betty was “First Lady” during the 18 years I served as President.