Barry J. Hansen

Barry’s parents were a mixed-religion couple: An Irish Roman Catholic woman Margaret Moran and a Danish Mormon man, Swen “Slim” Hansen. Both parents came from immigrant stock who had left lives in Ireland and Denmark to settle in the rugged American West. As Barry would say, his parentage gave him and his now-deceased brother Gerald “Jerry” Hansen a unique perspective on life. Barry himself was curious and pioneering.

Barry’s adventures started early in a family shaped by the Great Depression and the occasionally chaotic family adventures as his uncles and father would “ride the rails” for work. Barry loved to learn and had a great capacity of recall, which continued through his last days. He was educated in local schools and graduated from Anaconda High School in 1954. The first in his family to graduate with a college degree, he received his Bachelor of Science in Metallurgy from the Montana School of Mines in Butte (Montana Tech), in 1958.

In addition to his school learning, Barry loved music and poetry. As a teen, he owned an enviable (among his friends) record collection and often regaled others by quoting from one of his favorite poets, Robert Service. A particular favorite was Service’s The Cremation of Sam McGee, which was particularly apt given the long brutal winters he would later endure in Northern Minnesota.

Throughout his life, Barry was a hard worker. In high school and college, he worked on road crews, rail road beds, the Smelter, as well as the occasional cushy job serving drinks at a local country club. When he wasn’t working, he was a voracious reader and life-long learner. His interests and hobbies were vast, and he pursued them eagerly.

Like most men of his generation, Barry served in the army in 1958. Worried that he might be rejected on account of his eyesight, he memorized the eye chart and passed the physical, entering into Basic Training. While he wasn’t a fan of boot camp, he was proud of his service to his country and was pleased and gladdened by the service to country exhibited by his grandchildren.

Following his graduation from Montana Tech and after completing Basic Training, Barry embarked on his married life in June 1959, marrying Helen Peterson, also of Anaconda. Less than three weeks after their wedding, the young newlyweds sailed for South America on the S.S. Santa Margarita for the experience of a lifetime. Barry and Helen left the States for one of his greatest adventures, his first major job with the Anaconda Copper Company in a little mining camp nestled in the Andes Mountains, in Potrerillos, Chile, South America. This adventure sparked Barry’s life-long love for ships and boats of all kinds, as well as a love of travel and an appreciation for other cultures.

It was in Chile that Barry and Helen started their family with the birth of two of their three daughters, Julia and Joyce. Their third daughter, Amy, was born in Hibbing, Minnesota.

Following their South American adventures, the little family returned to the States where they took up residence in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, New York, while Barry notched another family first by earning a Master’s degree in Metallurgy from Columbia University’s Krumb School of Mines.

Seeking a small-town experience for their children after his graduation from Columbia, Barry and Helen chose a job with Hanna Mining on the frigid Iron Range in Hibbing, Minnesota, where Amy was born.

Barry thrived in his field of metallurgy and mining engineering, continuing to climb into management. Foreseeing the demise of the taconite industry, in 1977, Barry accepted a prestigious pioneering position with Exxon Minerals in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, managing communications for the nascent Crandon Project. The post was difficult, with hostile media and tricky corporate politics, but the family enjoyed a lovely home on a bucolic lake, where during the summer months, they often deployed a kayak Barry built from a kit, and during the long northern Wisconsin winter months, they enjoyed cross country skiing.

Eventually, Exxon shed its Crandon project and Barry faced the difficult task of winding down operations, letting valued employees go, and embarking upon a job search of his own. He and Helen landed in Denver, Colorado, which brought them both back to their beloved Rocky Mountains. Barry consulted for an Australian-based gold company and then went on to become a principal engineer for Hazen, before eventually hanging his own shingle as an independent consultant. He also was an adjunct professor at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado, and frequently would engage his daughter to assist in grading test papers.

In 1994, Barry and Helen faced a crisis when Helen was diagnosed with a terminal illness. She passed away too soon in January 1995, a mere eight months after her diagnosis. The grieving widower began a new chapter, which opened with pain but brightened immensely when he met Fran Neff, who was also mourning the loss of her husband, Dr. Thomas Neff. Soon the two were courting, eventually marrying in the Colorado mountains in September 1998. Fran’s four sons—Phil, Dave, Tim, and Andy—warmly welcomed Barry into their lives, showering love upon him as the sons he never had. Barry frequently described his life with Fran as a “life line” into hope, and he was grateful for their more than 27 year together residing in Denver, Colorado. They shared many wonderful travels, family celebrations, and adventures.

Barry deeply loved his two wives, his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He and Fran were privileged to enjoy the sounds of the Neff grandchildren playing in their lovely home in Centennial, Colorado.

Barry is survived by his wife Fran Neff Hansen; his three daughters and their spouses Julia and Mark Miller, Joyce and Rich Swingle, Amy Hansen and Wallie Schmidt; Fran’s sons and their wives, Phil Neff and Kathy Soltero, David Neff and Lea VanSchaack, Tim and Michelle Neff, Andy Neff; and his many grandchildren—Katherine Bednarek, Carolyn Bednarek (Colin Jordan), Charlie Schmidt Hansen; Sam Schmidt Hansen; Leo Schmidt Hansen; and his great granddaughter Daphne Afteni. He was predeceased by his parents Margaret and Sven Hansen; his first wife Helen Peterson Hansen; and his brother Jerry Hansen.

In his last months, Barry stated several times that he was ready to sail into the next chapter of his life. As a man of great faith, he was comforted by the Sacraments, the prospect of the hereafter, the hope of things to come, and an end to suffering.

May the Wind of the Spirit be with you, Barry. God bless.

A funeral service for Barry will be held Wednesday, July 2, 2025 at 10:00 AM at Risen Christ Catholic Parish, 3060 S Monaco St Pkwy, Denver, CO 80222.