THIRD GENERATION - (Descendants of Joe and Harden Hansen)   

   Leora Marie HANSEN (daughter of Joe Hansen) was born on 19 Dec 1916 in Nashua, Chickasaw Co., Iowa. She died on 16 Jan 1994 in Mason City, Cerro Gordo Co., Iowa. She was buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in Mason City. She was 5'7” with light brown hair and blue eyes.

   She married Leonard Francis PAINE (son of John Francis PAINE and Leonora A REED) on 21 Apr 1937 in Glenville, Freeborn Co., Minnesota. Leonard Francis PAINE was born on 15 Jan 1903 in Fort Dodge, Webster Co., Iowa. He died on 24 Apr 1992 in Mason City, Cerro Gordo Co., Iowa. He was buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in Mason City. He was about 5’6” tall with dark brown hair and brown eyes.

Leora Hansen (1934)	Leora & Leonard (1937)	Leora (1966)

   Growing up on the farm, Leora’s responsibility was to help her father outside with chores. She loved the outdoors, horses and gardening. She often wished she had been born a boy, because she never cared much for cooking and housekeeping. Yet, she was an excellent mother and homemaker. She crocheted many beautiful things, kept a comfortable home and was a very good cook.

   Leora graduated from Nashua High School in 1934. With encouragement from her Aunt Bertha, she enrolled in Hamilton Business College in Mason City. While she was attending Hamilton’s she met Leonard. After graduating from Hamilton, they married. For 4 years they lived in a small trailer on a lot next to Leonard’s parents home. Later they built a house on that lot where they lived the rest of their lives.

Leonard established a trucking business and together they delivered groceries around North Central Iowa. After their first child was born Leora stayed home.    Leora had always wished to be a nurse. When their children got older, she worked as a nurse’s aid at the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Mason City. In 1964 she finally pursued her dream and enrolled in the Mason City School of Practical Nursing. She received her LPN diploma in 1966. After working a total of 24 years at Mercy Hospital, she retired in 1979. In the mid-eighties, Leonard began experiencing a series of small strokes, which left him increasingly incapacitated. With the help of their daughter Lila, Leora cared for Leonard at home until his death in April of 1992.    A year later, Leora was diagnosed with bone cancer - a metastasis from breast cancer that she had been treated for 5 years earlier. She died in hospice 4 months later.

Leora & Leonard (1942)

Leona, Lyle, Leland, Leo - Front: Leora, Lila, Leonard (1960)	Leo, Leland, Leonard, Leora, Lyle, Leona, Lila (1973)

40th Wedding Anniversary	Leora and Leonard (1984)

 
   Dorothea (Lucille) HANSEN (daughter of Joe Hansen) was born on 1 Mar 1918 in Nashua, Chickasaw Co, Iowa. She died on 13 Jul 1991 in Grundy Center, Grundy Co., Iowa. She was buried in Grundy Center.

		Lucille attended country school through ninth grade. She worked as a housekeeper and nanny in Waterloo before she married Arnold.    She married Arnold DIXON (son of Clarence DIXON and Thyra Maire MICHAELSEN) on 26 Mar 1938 in Waverly, Bremer Co., Iowa.
Lucille	Arnold

   Arnold DIXON was born on 5 May 1913 in Cedar Falls, IA. He died on 24 May 1974 in Grundy Center, Grundy Co., Iowa. He was also buried in Grundy, Iowa.

Lucille and Arnold's wedding (Mar 3, 1938)

   Lucille and Arnold first lived on a farm near Lincoln, Iowa. They later moved to Grundy Center, Iowa where they started a rendering business about 1942. Lucille was the bookkeeper for the business. They bought a truck and also began a sand and gravel delivery service. Between 1951 and 1952 they bought a gas station in Dike, Iowa that Arnold operated. After Arnold’s death, Lucille sold the rendering works and gas station. She moved to a smaller house in Grundy Center where she lived until her death from cancer.

   Lucille loved gardening. She grew both vegetables and flowers. Her flower gardens were very beautiful. She also was an excellent cook.

   Arnold attended school through 8th grade. In his teens, he hopped a freight train and rode out to the Dakotas where he found work thrashing oats. After marrying Lucille he owned and operated several businesses. He had a great sense of humor and loved children. Arnold died suddenly of a heart attack while working at his gas station in Dike, Iowa.

Lucille, Donald, Dallas, and Arnold

Arnold working at his Standard station	Lucille with rendering truck

Scott, Trisha, Dawn, Lucille andTammy (1977)	Lucille

	Esther Mae HANSEN (daughter of Joe Hansen) was born on 27 Aug 1919 in Nashua, Chickasaw Co., IA. She died on 27 May 1981 in Greene, Butler Co., Iowa and was buried in Greene.    Esther Mae was born at home on the farm in Nashua. She attended Nashua country school. Her father hired Louie Juhl to help him with the farm. She and Louis JUHL were married on 4 Jun 1937 in Nashua, IA.
Esther Mae Hansen		Louis Juhl

   Louis JUHL was born on 28 Apr 1913 in Nebraska. He died on 30 May 1981 in Greene, Butler Co., Iowa. He was buried in Greene.

   After marrying, they moved to a small apartment in Mason City where Louie worked in carpentry. Next they moved to Rockwell, Iowa where their three boys were born. In 1946 the family moved to a farm northeast of Greene, Iowa. They settled there and farmed the rest of their lives.

   Esther was very talented. She was an accomplished seamstress and cook and she enjoyed needlework and crafts. She put her talents to use at home and for her church and community.

   After their boys were grown, Esther was determined to finish her high school education. She received her G.E.D. and worked as a nurse’s aide at the Mathers Nursing Home in Green. She continued her education and received certification as an Activities Director. She worked in that capacity at Mathers until she became ill.

   Esther was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1980. In spite of surgery and chemotherapy, she died a year later at her home on May 26, 1981.

   As the family prepared to leave for her funeral on May 28th, Louie suffered a massive heart attack at home and died. Louie had suffered from emphysema and hypertension for several years. His funeral was held only two days after hers. They are buried together at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Greene, Butler Co., Iowa.

Esther and Louie	Lester, Ronald, Roger

   Virginia Luella HANSEN (daughter of Joe Hansen) was born on 14 Aug 1922 in Nashua, Chickasaw Co., Iowa.

She married Bernard Pierce HOY (son of James HOY and Katherine) on 3 Aug 1941 in Charles City, IA. He died on 13 Apr 1993 in Iowa City, Iowa. He was buried on 16 Apr 1993 in Ionia, Floyd Co., Iowa.    While growing up on the farm, Virginia worked mostly outdoors with her father. She loved animals and farming.    She and Bernard met at the fair. A year after their marriage Bernard entered the Army Air Corps. While he was away, Virginia located a farm for sale in the Nashua area and bought it. They settled there and raised their family.    Virginia has a great love of animals. In addition to dairy cattle and the usual farm livestock, she also has raised baby fawns, pot bellied pigs, peacocks and many other unusual and exotic animals and birds.

Virginia and Bernard 1941

   In addition to the farm work, Virginia established a business restoring and refinishing furniture. Her eye for antiques and ability to restore them put her in great demand and was sometimes more than she preferred.

   In 1999 a tornado swept through the area and struck the Hoy farm. The barn and other buildings and trees were destroyed. Virgil was away when it hit, but Virginia was in the house. It took rescue workers considerable time to get through the debris around the house, to reach her. Fortunately the house wasn’t badly damaged but she was very shaken and required treatment for cuts from broken glass.

   Today, with her son Virgil, she continues farming. She enjoys her pets and flowers and still goes dancing occasionally.

Bernard, Minister, and Virginia	Bernard (1942)

   Bernard Pierce HOY was born on 11 Sep 1918 in Charles City, Floyd Co., Iowa. He died on 13 Apr 1993 in Iowa City, Iowa. Bernard served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from August 6,1942 to Jan 5, 1944. He worked as an inspector at the Oliver Corp. in Charles City for 30 years. He and Virginia lived on the same farm in Nashua for almost 50 years. Bernard died of emphysema in the Veterans Hospital in Iowa City, Iowa. He is buried in Cedar View Cemetery, Ionia Co., Iowa.

Virginia, Jerry, Virgil and Bernard, abt. 1953	Virgil, Jerry,Virginia and Bernard

Virginia and Bernard's 50th wedding anniversary (1991)

			She married John GREKOFF (son of John GREKOFF and Mary [--?--]) on 23 Jun 1946 in Nashua, Iowa. John GREKOFF was born on 24 Nov 1920 in Steele, Kidder Co., North Dakota. He died on 17 Sep 1962 in Waterloo, Black Hawk Co., Iowa. He is buried in Waterloo.
Della 1942	Cadet Nurse	Graduate RN

   Della was born and raised on the farm in Nashua Iowa. She attended country school for 8 years in Floyd Co. She graduated from Nashua High School in 1942.

   From the time she was a young girl she cared for sick and injured animals on the farm. She always wanted to be a nurse. In the fall of 1942 she began nurses training at the Evangelical School of Nursing in Marshalltown, Iowa. The country was at war and needed nurses so Della joined the Cadet Nurses program. The war ended before her graduation so she was never called into service. She graduated as a Registered Nurse in the spring of 1945.

She worked for the Wolfe Eye Clinic in Marshalltown for a year until she married John Grekoff. She had known him since high school. They made their home in Waterloo where Della worked at St. Francis Hospital until their children were born.    Their first child, Darell Dea, was stillborn on Jan 16, 1948 at St Francis Hospital, Waterloo, Iowa. Darell is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Nashua, Iowa.    John passed away suddenly from a coronary embolism on Sept. 16, 1962, while working at Roth Packing Co. He died at the age of 41. John was a wonderful husband and father and was greatly missed.    In 1965 Della returned to nursing at Schoitz Memorial Hospital in Waterloo. She became reacquainted with Eldon Reeves, a boyfriend whom she had dated during her nurses training. She married Eldon Lavon REEVES on 22 Mar 1968 at First Lutheran Church in Waterloo. She and Eldon Lavon REEVES divorced in February 1977.

Della and John Grekoff

Connie, Della (holding Craig), John	Craig and Connie

   Della retired in 1986, at the age of 62. She enjoys her retirement. She has taken classes in oil painting, and does volunteer work at her church. She plays piano and sings at the nursing home, Senior Citizen organizations and in her church choir. She enjoys spending time with her children, Connie and Craig and her little dog Candy.

Craig, Della (holding Candy) Connie 2001	Della and Virginia at Virginias 80th birthday party

  Norma Doris HANSEN (daughter of Harden Hansen) was born on 4 Oct 1930 in Horton, Bremer Co., Iowa.

Norma’s parents called her their little Indian papoose because of her coal black hair. Norma was a regular tomboy. She followed her dad around all day helping with chores outdoors. She hated helping her mother indoors and still dislikes housekeeping and cooking.    Norma married Maynard Melvin BIEKERT on 31 Dec 1949 in Nashua, Iowa. Maynard Melvin BIEKERT was born on 5 Mar 1927 in Clarksville, Butler Co., Iowa. Norma and Maynard are now retired. They used to spend their winters in Texas but for health reasons they now live year round on their farm in Nashua, Iowa.    They are both active members of the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa.

Norma and Maynard, 1949

Beryl, Cheryl, Neal & Bruce (1970)	Neal, Beryl, Cheryl, Bruce (Front) Norma and Maynard

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