Shelton-Mason County Journal - Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886

Diane Barrington Hansen, 82, of Eden Prairie, MN, died December 7, 2021, after seven years battling lung cancer. She came to Shelton in 1988 as the wife of Superintendent Jerry Hansen and was once featured in the Journal with her cinnamon rolls. They moved to eastern Washington in 2002.

She was born December 27, 1938, in Kansas City, MO, attended elementary through college schools in southern California and became a second grade teacher for several years. After her first husband died, she married Jerry on August 9th, 1965. They celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary this year.

Diane was devoted to her husband, content to move from place to place as his career progressed. They started their marriage in Nebraska, and then moved to Washington State where they raised their four children. Finally, in her mid-seventies, they moved to Minnesota to live close to two of their sons. Due to friends moving, Diane had friends on both coasts as well as the mid-west whom she called frequently, and she and Jerry had traveled to Central America, China, Japan and Europe visiting their kids as they traveled the globe.

Diane was a devout Catholic and had an intense interest in the well-being of children, poor people, immigrants, imprisoned people, and people suffering hardships. She actively volunteered in these areas of interest by teaching English to Spanish-speaking adults, volunteering at Head Start, assisting the chaplain's office at the prison, and volunteering for various church service projects.

She was cherished by many, and is survived by her husband, Jerry Hansen, daughter Debbie (Vince) Yasaki, and sons Steve (Julia) Hansen, Greg (Bahi) Hansen, and Phil (partner Katie Marek) Hansen. She was a beloved grandmother to Caleb, Nicole, and Collin Yasaki; Camille, Rowan, Hans, and Molly Hansen; and David Morrell, III, Layson Morrell, and Mikal Hill. She was preceded in death by all of her birth family – father Harold Barrington, mother Helen, and sister Nancy.

In lieu of flowers, Diane would prefer donations in her memory to be made to Catholic Relief Services, 228 W. Lexington St., Baltimore, MD, 21201. (www.crs.org)

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. (Central Time) on Tuesday, December 28, 2021, at Pax Christi Church in Eden Prairie, MN. (It will be live streamed through the "live stream" page of paxchristi.com and through You Tube, Pax Christi.)