Sally Hanson

Growing up in Kewanee Illinois, Sally Hartman went to college at the University of Wisconsin where she met her future husband Don Hanson on a blind date, a young assistant professor who “swept her off her feet”. They were married six weeks later. They made their home in the Bay Area, where he joined the faculty at UC Berkeley, and she became the classic mid-century American wife and mother, lovingly and skillfully raising her three children and keeping a loving home for her family. Settling first in the Berkeley Hills, and following a two-year overseas sojourn while her husband taught at the University of the Philippines in Manila, Sally and her family settled in a gorgeous adobe house in Orinda which became the family home for fifty years, and which she very stylishly decorated with beautiful art.

She was fortunate enough to lead a long, charmed life, enjoying her summers on Lake Michigan as a child, and spending her adulthood summering in the family cabin at Lake Tahoe caring for her children and assorted nieces and nephews, all of whom describe these summers as some of their most cherished childhood memories. With her husband she was able to travel extensively in her life, embarking on a three month around-the-world journey in 1958, and taking many trips to Europe after his retirement. Maintaining her house very efficiently, she was also free to indulge herself in her one personal passion in life: golf. In her prime, she hiked the four-mile, hilly Tilden Park Golf Course three times a week, and with her natural athletic abilities, became a highly competent golfer, winning various tournaments on her home turf. She also became a skilled cook, an avid reader, and a good bridge player.

She had a gracious manner and a calm and stable demeanor. None of her children can recall a single instance of her losing her temper. This stress-free life and her regular exercise contributed to her good health and long life of nearly 98 years. Her passing is mourned by her three children: Charles Hanson MD of Walnut Creek, David Hanson of Davis, and Kristen Norman of Bend, Oregon, as well as her seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, but they are comforted by their inability to imagine a more pleasant and satisfying life. Gifts in remembrance may be directed to Hospice of the East Bay.