Marita “Rita” Hansen, 65, of Kenosha, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, December 13, 2013, after courageously battling cancer.
She was born on March 15, 1948, to Adelheid Strese and Rudolf Heckerkunst in Dabringhausen, Germany. She came to the United States and on May 5, 1958, and became a US citizen. She attended Friedens Lutheran School and graduated High School from Mary D. Bradford.
After high school, she worked as a car hop. This is where she met and fell in love with Richard C. Hansen, Sr. They were married on November 26, 1966, and just celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary this year.
She was a stay at home mom. Once her children were all in school, she went to Gateway Technical College where she earned her degree in Health Unit Clerk. She graduated with honors. She was employed as an office manager at Lakeside Family Therapy Services until she retired in March 2012.
She was an avid Packer fan. She enjoyed cooking, shopping, planting flowers, and traveling. But nothing gave her more joy than spending time with her grandchildren and babysitting her little “doodlebug.”
She is the love of her family and she will be deeply missed. She is survived by her husband, Richard; her three children, Richard C. Hansen Jr. (Elizabeth), Deanna L. Willstead (Raymond), and Jeffrey A. Hansen (Myra); six grandchildren, Selene, Benjamin, Julia, Cassandra, Natalia, and Addison; and a sister, Waltraud Half. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Manfred.
Our family would like to extend our thanks and gratitude to the wonderful and caring staff at St. Catherine's Hospital, both in the Cancer Center and on the Medical Surgical Unit. A special thank you to Dr. Bandealy and staff, and lastly to Hospice Alliance.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, December 19th, at the Proko Funeral Home at 12:00 noon. Interment will follow at Sunset Ridge Memorial Park. Visitation will be held on Thursday at the funeral home from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Hospice Alliance in Marita's name.
Proko Funeral Home & Crematory
5111-60th Street
Kenosha, WI 53144
Phone: (262) 654-3533
Visit Marita’s Online Memorial Book at:
www.prokofuneralhome.com