DOROTHY E. HANSON

Dorothy Eline (Hilstad) Hanson, 82, of Finley, ND, passed away on Friday, January 31, 2025, at Touchmark Assisted Living Facility in Bismarck, ND.

 Dorothy was born February 13, 1942, in Sharon, ND, the daughter of Helmer and Lillian (Arneson) Hilstad. Dorothy grew up on a farm west of Finley, and, as a child, she attended country school. Dorothy graduated from Finley High School in 1960.

 On February 3, 1962, Dorothy married Thaine Hanson. After Thaine finished his deployment in the Army, Thaine and Dorothy moved back to Finley where Dorothy worked at Finley Motors. After more than 40 years, she retired from Finley Motors in 2007. Thaine and Dorothy were inseparable and loved attending all events in the Finley area, especially dances.

 Dorothy was very active in the Finley community. Thaine and Dorothy delivered meals on wheels, and Dorothy enjoyed her Red Hat community and their adventures. She was especially active in the Finley Lutheran Church, including playing piano for Sunday School and cherub choir, and participating in Ladies Aid and Circle. Also, it was very rare not to find Thaine and Dorothy spending their summers driving their 1974 Monte Carlo in parades, with Dorothy tossing out candy.

 Nearly 15 years ago, Dorothy was diagnosed with progressive, frontotemporal dementia. She defied the diagnosis and battled the disease for years. However, the disease slowly, day by day, stole parts of her away from us. Throughout her journey, Dorothy maintained a positive attitude and a loving smile. Her last years were spent with that same smile, telling us that she loved us. She even continued to play piano until about a year ago, with her favorite song being Jesus Loves Me. 

 She is survived by their two children: Teresa Hanson and Shane (Lana) Hanson. She was devoted to, and deeply loved her five grandchildren: Cassity (Kenyon) Wingenbach, Jacoby (Hannah) Lloyd, Noah Schaffner, Christian Hanson and Catherine Hanson, and her five great grandchildren: Tatum Wingenbach, Penn Wingenbach, Theo Lloyd, Ames Lloyd and Coen Lloyd. She is also survived by her brother-in-law, Steve (Carol) Hanson, and two sisters-in-law, Bev Devlin and Becky Amundson.

 Dorothy was preceded in death by her beloved husband Thaine, her parents, her in-laws Trygve and Francis Hanson, her sister Avis Marilyn Hilstad, her brother Helmer Marlowe Hilstad, her sister-in-law Faye Kilgore, and nephew Ronald Thompson.

 The Hanson family would like to thank all of the staff at the Touchmark Assisted Living Facility and Caring Edge Hospice.