Claudia Ann Hanssen

Claudia Ann Hanssen, 77, of Menard County, went peacefully to her Lord and Savior on the morning of December 25th. She passed away at home on her beloved Elm Creek Ranch with family and friends by her side. Preceding her in death were her husband of fifty years, Bruce, her mother, Margaret, and her father, Walter L. Stewart. Claudia was born on March 12th, 1939, in Dallas, where she lived for most of her life. She graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School and attended Southern Methodist University in the 1950s. For many years in the 1970s and 1980s she was both a member and secretary of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church and School. In 2001, after moving with Bruce to their Elm Creek Ranch near Menard, she became a member of Grace Lutheran Church. Her many talents and passions included spending time on her ranch with family and friends, reading daily devotions, vegetable gardening, loving and playing with her pet cats, sewing, cooking, calligraphy, bird watching, growing flowers, and learning about fauna and flora of every kind. Her life-long generosity, wisdom, and loving ways were admired by everyone who had the honor of knowing her. Cherishing her in everlasting memory are her sister, Karen Lewis of Menard; daughter Elizabeth Hanssen Davis of Menard; son Keith and wife Anna Hanssen of Bozeman, Montana; niece Sharon Koontz and family of Virginia Beach, Virginia; niece Claudia and husband Jim Nichols of Rowlett; nephew Stewart and wife Kelly Lewis of Houston; grandchildren Shawn and Nicole Crawford of Menard; great-niece Ashley Nichols of Rowlett; great-nephew Colten Lewis of Houston; great-granddaughters Angelica and Claudia Thompson of Forreston; grandchildren Sara, Jakob, and Leah Hanssen of Bozeman; uncle Aubrey Stewart of Richardson, and many other dearest cousins and friends. Weather permitting, an informal outdoor memorial service to include the spreading of her ashes will be held at noon on Saturday, January 7th, on the Elm Creek Ranch near Menard. The family requests that expressions of sympathy be in the form of donations to the American Lung Association. In the case of inclement weather a service will be held at Grace Lutheran Church in Menard. Claudia Ann HanssenClaudia Ann Hanssen Memorial Service Jan. 7th

Claudia Ann Hanssen

December 25, 2016