Nona Hakanson was born Nona R. Larson on March 13th 1930 in La Grande, Oregon to Orin Leonard Larson and Mina Ellen Gilkison and she died, peacefully of natural causes, while traveling with family on June 4, 2020 in Boise, Idaho. She married the love of her life, Milton (Swede) L. Hakanson June 5, 1948 in La Grande, Oregon.
She is survived by her children, Kip, Kerry (Sue), Marie (Marv), and Janell, 9 grandchildren, Justin, Jake (Chris), Ben, Michele (Justyn), Geoff, Christine (Matt), Mikayla, Chelsea (Josiah), and Cassandra (Alex), and 14 great grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, parents, brother Desmond, sister Elma, sister Carol and daughter-in-law Beth.
Nona lived her life in service to her family and friends. She always thought about their needs first. To say she lived her life for her family was an understatement. Her world revolved around her family. She would fix Swedish pancakes tirelessly, make any meal requested, and ensure their happiness before she thought of her own desires.
She loved reading (2-3 books a week) and shared her books with her sister Carol. To keep her mind sharp, she filled in the crosswords in the newspaper daily, even "cheating" to look up some answers so that she could learn something new. She loved to put jigsaw puzzles together and would not get mad if a used puzzle was missing a piece or two at the end. She loved game shows and recorded them for daily viewing when time allowed. She loved to play cards with her family and friends, her favorites being pinochle, "wrinkles" (Canadian rummy), and 31. She loved to play the slots whenever she was in Nevada (or within 20 miles of any casino), always seeming to come out slightly ahead in the wee hours of the morning.
After her children were raised, she worked at the Parkrose School District administrative office, the same school district Milt served in for 31 years. She was a loving companion and took care of Milt after his retirement in 1982 until his passing in 2004. She was always at every event her children participated in, be it sports, performances, or whatever. She was skilled at the piano, although she didn't have the opportunity to play often. She loved to go golfing with her kids and was the first in her family to get a Wii console challenging her grandchildren to games of golf and bowling.
There will be a private interment at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland, Oregon.
Nona will be remembered fondly and lovingly by her family and friends. We miss you already, mom!
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