Helen Clarice Hanson was born on a farm homestead in Farland, North Dakota located near Arnegard, North Dakota on July 8th 1920. She was the second eldest of six children. Sophie, Don, Dorothy, Eugene, Clarice. Clarice only lived for a few hours after she was born. Her parents were Casper Martin Larson and Hattie Julia Wilson Larson.
In the fall of 1928 there was a hail storm that destroyed their wheat crop just before harvest. With the loss of the wheat crop her parents decided to move to Silverton, Oregon that same fall. The family moved several times after moving to Oregon.
Helen graduated from Gresham High School in 1939. After graduating high school she moved to Portland, Oregon where she found work with the National Youth Administration which was a New Deal agency sponsored by the Roosevelt administration. She then worked various jobs including Sawyer Co., that sold postcards, Universal Car Loading Co., and finally Commercial Iron Works Shipyard.
She began dating Harold Hanson in 1942 and they were engaged before Harold left for service in the US Army in the fall of 1942.
In 1944 she along with to other coworkers decided to join the United States Coast Guard. She initially reported to Palm Beach, Florida for basic training and as a storekeeper. Upon graduating she was posted in Philadelphia where she was among the first women to work on the base.
When Harold returned home from serving in Europe in July 1945, he did not know where Helen was, upon finding out she was in Philly he called her and they decided to get married on July 14th, 1945.
After they left the service they settled in Portland, Oregon in November 1945. They had six children. John, Karen, David, Paul, Kathy, and James.
Helen passed away in the morning hours of March 24th, 2018. She is survived by her brother Eugene and three of her children, John, David, and James.
A Committal Service will be held on Thursday, April 5, 2018, at 10:30 am at Willamette National Cemetery. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, April 7, 2018, at 2:00 pm at Trinity Lutheran Church in Gresham.
