Frederick Prentiss Hansen

Frederick Prentiss Hansen, 84, of Old Lyme, CT died at home on January 14. A loving husband, father, and grandfather, Fred was born on August 29, 1941 to Frederick and Catherine (Carrigan) Hansen in Hartford CT. He attended elementary school in West Hartford and graduated from Wethersfield High School where he captained the cross-country team. He earned a BA in English Literature and an MSW with a concentration in geriatrics from the University of Connecticut. In 1970, he married Laura (Nakos) Hansen, his wife of 55 years.

Fred served in Korea in the US Army and was awarded marksman and expert badges. He had a long career as a Social Worker, Social Work Supervisor, and Medicaid Policy Consultant for the State of Connecticut with deep experience working with town and city agencies.

Fred was an avid reader and writer who delighted in nature, revered the land and its landscapes, and was keenly interested in the history of indigenous nations. He loved taking long hikes, swimming in the ocean in Wellfleet, MA, and cross-country skiing anywhere there was snow. A member of Joshua’s Trust Land Conservancy in Northeast Connecticut, he returned to Eastern Connecticut often to hike his favorite trails and climb Horse Barn Hill in Storrs, CT.

Fred loved to travel and meet new people. Two of his favorite places were Provence and Denmark. An especially meaningful trip was a drive up the coast of the Jutland peninsula to stand in the ocean at the merging of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea in Northern Denmark. For ten years, he and Laura lived part time in Manhattan where he loved exploring the city, scouring all its boroughs, making frequent stops at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and walking every pathway in Central Park. Whether enrolling in a celestial navigation course, joining the Connecticut Mycological Society to forage mushrooms, or taking a geological tour of Thoreau’s Walden Pond, Fred always discovered new interests. He loved Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and Johann Sebastian Bach equally, reserving Sunday mornings for “Bach and bacon.”

The oldest of nine siblings, Fred leaves his wife Laura, son Jonah, daughter-in-law Jessica Brach, granddaughters Anna and Sophie Hansen, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law Janet and John Levengood, Grace and Steven Nakos, and Donna and James Nakos. He also leaves his nieces Julie Levengood and her husband Noel Swartz, Jessica Bernstein and her husband Alex, Alina Nakos, Andrea Gervasini and her husband Mike, and nephews Jared Levengood, Christopher Nakos and his wife Kelley, as well as two brothers, Brian and Luke. He was predeceased by his brothers Robert, Neil, Tim, Mark, and Matthew, and by his sister Catherine (Sunny) Tripp.

Heartfelt thanks go to Fred’s caregivers for their vigilance and affection over the last few years and special gratitude goes to Masonicare Hospice. To plant a tree in Fred’s memory, please visit Plant Trees for Others - Arbor Day Foundation

A memorial service to celebrate Fred’s life is being planned for family and friends.