Leonard “Dale” Hanson, age 71, of Morrison, IL, died Thursday, July 18, 2024, at his home, surrounded by friends and family.
Dale was born September 21, 1952 in Morrison, the son of Melvin and Helen (Harvey) Hanson. He served his Nation in the U. S. Navy as a Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class for four years during the Vietnam War Era. Dale married Evelyn Strating on December 28, 1971 in Erie, IL. For over 37 years, Dale worked at 3M, retiring on October 1, 2013. He was an avid whitetail deer hunter, enjoyed woodworking–building many different projects, and was active in his grandchildren’s lives. In their retirement, Dale and Evelyn Hanson enjoyed participating in rabbit shows all across the Nation, including the states of Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Over 40 years, Dale was a member of many different rabbit organizations on the local level, within the states of Illinois and Wisconsin, and a member of the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA.) Wherever he was, Dale was very outgoing and never met a stranger.
He is survived by his wife, Evelyn Hanson of Morrison; daughters, Jennifer Hanson of Cordell, OK, Christie Hanson of Portland, OR, Tara (Brian) Coers of Savanna, IL, and Jacklyn Hanson of Morrison; six grandchildren, Christopher Allen, Nickolas Hanson, Trevor Carswell, Marcus Allen, Jonathan DeWild, and Brynn Allen; sister, Mary (Randy) Swearingen of Rockford, IL; brothers, Norman Hanson of Albany, IL, and Jeff (Angie) Hanson of Morrison; brothers-in-law, Gene Voss of Morrison and Neil Decker of Prophetstown, IL.
He was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Barbara Skoog; brother-in-law, Henry Skoog.
A Visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at McDonald Funeral Home, 1601 16th Avenue, Fulton, IL.
The Funeral will follow at 1:00 p.m., with Matt DeWild officiating at the same location.
Burial will be at R. A. Lusk Memorial Cemetery in Albany, IL.
A Luncheon will follow the burial at the Albany Legion, located next to the Albany Fire Department.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established to raise money for the American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) Youth Education Scholarship.
Online condolences may be sent to http://www.mcdonaldfuneralhomes.com.