Eleanor Sue Hansen

For over three years, Eleanor Sue Hansen has been waiting for her dad to come pick her up. Her Father arrived July 11, 2026, while she slept. She was born June 11, 1939, and between birth and death, she spent her life loving people and taking care of them with an unwavering spirit and deep-abiding Faith. She valued the companionship, stories, lessons and skills she learned from her mother and grandmother in their 3-generation home. Her most cherished skills were cooking and sewing, sharing this skill and passion with her daughters. She prized family and personal connections above all with dogs included. Her first dog, Sundae, was a companion in childhood, with many more rescues to accompany her through life.

When her children started school, Sue wanted to earn a little extra money for tennis lessons, so she took a “counter” job at the local McDonalds. Forty-two years later she retired amidst well wishes from many of the daily customers who got coffee refills and napkin deliveries from her. She knew them and loved them all, even starting a weekly BINGO game in the mid-morning once a week. Customers affectionately called her Miss Sue and often McSue. A partnership with a local elementary school rewarded students with “free French fries” for reading or spelling scores and she visited the school weekly to read with the kids.

Sue’s sewing expertise shown through in the special occasion dresses, nightgowns with matching sleep caps, and wedding dresses she created and the cheerleader team uniforms she made. Her girls had Barbie clothes to match many of the everyday clothes they wore. To Sue, this was a way to economize in a family with 4 children, but in reality, they were custom-sewn, personal statements for each of her kids. Sue was known to find a pair of colourful shoes on the clearance rack, and head right to the fabric store for just the right material and pattern to complete a new ensemble.

Sue joined her parents, Leslie Victor Stober and Ella Marie (Flescher) and a 10-year-old brother, Leslie Victor, Jr. (Bill) at birth. She married her high school sweetheart, Scott Riles and they had four children – Eva Riles, Joy (John) Flanders, Richard Riles and Daniel Riles IV – Joy and Richard survive. Sue later married Donald Hansen and they enjoyed 32 years of life and love – adding Jory (Mary) Hansen and Robin (Jim) Hemphill to the family. Together, they welcomed eleven grandchildren: Zachary (Kelly) Ulivarri, Daniel Ulivarri, Joseph Dodson, Daniel (Jessica) Dodson, Jory (Allison Mingus) Hansen, Elizabeth (Dayton) Botts, Anthony (Rachel) Everhart, Jacob (Lisa) Dodson, Mark Riles, Claire Hansen and Shelby Dodson. There were 23 great grandchildren to follow: Kaylee and Rose Ulivarri; Michael, Christopher and Elizabeth Ulivarri; Leevi, Christian Kyler, Laithen and Tucker Dodson; Bryleigh, Karson and McKenna Dodson; Ethan Hansen; LillyAnna, Lydia, Lainey and Anthony (TJ) Everhart; Emily, Vera, RandaLynne and Jacob (Huck) Dodson; and Oliver Smith. Sue felt richly blessed her family and was especially thrilled with the many curly, redheads. She’s been in memory care for a few years, but it’s widely thought that Sue’s signature giggle upon the entry of a family member meant she knew who they were and valued their visit.

Sue lived a life deep in her faith and gave her time, her gifts and her service to her church and its mission. She was well-loved and deeply rooted in her faith that God was watching over her and taking care of her, therefore she has a responsibility to “do good to others”. She sang hymns of praise long after she couldn’t hold a conversation, singing joyfully and with enthusiasm. Memorial gifts should be directed to First Baptist Church of Kansas City or the Wayside Waifs animal rescue operations of Kansas City.