Rema Hansen

February 17, 2006

Funeral services for Rema Hansen, 85, of Jefferson will be 11:00 am Wednesday, February 22, 2006, at the First Baptist Church in Jefferson. Burial will be in the Jefferson Cemetery, Jefferson, IA. Visitation will start at 9:00 am Tuesday at Slininger-Rossow Funeral Home, with family present from 6:00-8:00 pm. Rema Fae Murchison Hansen, daughter of John and Virgie (Williamson) Murchison, was born on February 6, 1921 in Chillicothe, Missouri. Rema graduated from Chillicothe High School in 1939 and then attended Chillicothe Business College where she met her future husband, Ross Hansen. They were married on January 8, 1944 in Kansas City, Kansas and had recently celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary. To this union five children were born, Pamela, Gary, Sheila, Debra and Penny. After World War II, the couple farmed at Rockwell, Iowa, where Rema was a 4-H leader and an active member in the First Baptist Church. In 1969, Rema and Ross moved to Jefferson, where she worked for the Bee & Herald newspaper. Rema loved to sing, winning top honors in High School contests. Ross heard her sing an Easter solo in 1939 (he didn’t “know her from Eve then”) and recognized a great voice. Five months later they were introduced. Through the years, she sang many solos in the church that they attended and often sang duets with Ross. Of the many solos she has sung at the First Baptist Church in Jefferson, where she and Ross were members, one of the most remembered was her singing “I Was the Tree”. One of the things that Rema loved was camping with the Greene Campers. She was always ready to go to a Southern Gospel sing, no matter where it was and they put miles on their motor home traveling to gospel sings across the United States. You could always locate Ross and Rema sitting in the center of one of the first rows giving encouragement to the various groups they heard and developing many lasting friendships. Family was very important to Rema and she was a loving and devoted wife and mother. She enjoyed her children and grandchildren and her face beamed as she held her great-grandchildren in her arms and cooed to them. She attended countless concerts, recitals, ballets, tennis and soccer matches and school plays giving support to her children and grandchildren. Her love for her family was second only to her love for her Savior, Jesus Christ. We rejoice that she is now in her eternal home in heaven. Rema Fae Hansen passed away at the Jefferson Manor on February 17, 2006 at the age of 85 years. Preceding her in death were her parents, three brothers and one sister. Survivors include her husband, Ross Hansen of Jefferson, IA; 5 children, Pamela(Jerry) Bergman of Plymouth, IA; Gary(Lauren) Hansen of Tallahassee, FL; Sheila(Tom) Chapin of Fairbanks, AK; Debra Hansen of Zurich, Switzerland and Penny(Mark) Walkenhorst of Comfort, TX. Also surviving are 8 grandchildren; Cheri (John) Van Der Hart; Jennifer (Chris) Anderson; Bruce (Renae) Bergman; Alicia Hansen; Karina Hansen; Kevin (Brandi) Cox; Chad Hansen and Teresa Chapin; 5 great-grandchildren, Haley Van Der Hart; Trisha and Owen Anderson; Kylie and Brecken Cox; and sister, Frances Conner of Chillicothe, MO; other relatives, friends and special friend, Janne Dawson.