Joan "Jodie" Hansen

Joan “Jodie” Hansen, 78, of the Cheraw Community, passed to the Lord on May 1, 2011, at AVRMC after a lengthy illness.

Joan was given the nickname “Jodie” as a young girl by her father. She was born in her maternal grandparent’s home, something of which she was very proud, in Johnstown, Colorado on July 14, 1932.

Her parents were Donald O. and Elsie Edith Elliott Evett. As a young child, she moved with her parents and her younger brother to Rocky Ford where she attended elementary school. When she was in Junior High, her family moved to La Junta where she lived until her marriage, graduating with the La Junta High School class of 1950. She has remained very close to her classmates through the years planning and attending several class reunions until her illness made it impossible.

In 1953 she married Jens W. Hansen, a farmer, and Korean War veteran, recently home from the front lines. They were married on November 29, 1953 at the First Baptist Church in La Junta and farmed and ranched in the Holbrook Valley for their entire married life. She was actively involved in the operation of raising Registered Angus cattle and loved nothing more than to go out to the ranch in the evening with Jens and check cows. Jodie was a fill time farm wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and always managed to work outside of the home “in town”, most notably working for many years as receptionist to Dr. J. Alan Shand, executive secretary at AVRMC, and worked for the BNSF railroad upon her retirement. For over 50 years, she was the first and only bookkeeper for the Beehive Water Association.

Jodie is survived by her husband, Jens, of the home, and four children. Her children include: Shelby and Mike Mustain of Cheraw; Shanyn Hansen of Troutville, VA; Lisa and Carl Lindauer of Las Animas; and Scott and Wendy Hansen of Cheraw. She is survived by seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren: Brysen, Amber and Ashlynn Mustain of Colorado Springs; Lauren Mustain of Wiley; Rhianna, Randy, Dylan and Wyatt Price of Troutville, VA Trevor and Derek Wilson of Fort Collins, Rachel Hansen of La Junta and K.C. Hansen of Cheraw. Survivors also include her uncle, Gale McQuate of Cheyenne, WY; sister-in-laws Martha Evett of La Junta; Elizabeth and Robert Horine of St. Louis, MO.; and several cousins, nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother D.R. “Pete” Evett, and her father and mother-in-law Frank and Sigrid Hansen.

Graveside services will be held at Fairview Cemetery in La Junta Wednesday, May 4, at 2:00 p.m. with Reverend Tom Dudley of the United Methodist Church of Cheraw officiating. 

Peacock-Larsen Funeral Home & Arkansas Valley Crematory is in charge of arrangements.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Assoc., 415 N. Tejon St. #201, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903 or to the American Lung Assoc. of Colorado, 1600 Race Street, Denver, CO 80206 direct or through the funeral home.