816. Memories of Florence Hansen, a sculptress, dear friend, and amazing lady!
This dear lady was a very good friend of mine for many years! She passed away on Friday, Feb. 10th, 2017. She was so well known for her beautiful small statues, and also some large statues in the "Monument to Women" garden in Nauvoo, Illinois. When we moved to Sandy, Utah, in 1962, where we lived for 19 years, she was my first Visiting Teaching Companion. I grew to love her immediately. When I taught a class for teenagers about genealogy, and their own Family History, her son Chad filled out a Family Group Sheet showing 5 children. If you notice in the obituary, they were able to raise only this one choice son, the age of my oldest son. They had 4 babies die right after birth! I don't know reasons, only that she once told me the reasons were unrelated. She and her dear husband continued faithful, gentle, and gracious all their lives!
Florence Lambert Peterson Hansen
06/14/1920 - 02/10/2017- › Service Date: 02/15/2017
Florence Lambert Peterson Hansen, 96, returned to her Heavenly Father 10 February 2017. She was born June 14, 1920 in Salt Lake City, UT a daughter of Lester August Peterson and Mary Alice Waddell Lambert Peterson. She married Charles Willard Hansen Jr. (the love of her life) October 26, 1950 in the Salt Lake LDS Temple, solemnized by Elder Ezra Taft Benson.
Florence gained international recognition for her work as a sculptress and design artist. Private and public commissions include prestigious works in collections across the nation and world. She is perhaps best known for her “Teaching With Love” and “Joseph and Emma,” commissioned as part of the “Monument to Women” garden in Nauvoo, Illinois. She was the principal artist for Hansen Classics. Her sculptures, produced in fine porcelain and bronze, have been selected as official gifts to presidents, prime ministers, premiers and others in high office and are cherished in countless homes around the world.
Those who knew her for her quiet dignity and the joy she felt when she was around family will remember Florence most for her gift of “time” which she spent generously. She loved her roll in life as wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend and neighbor. She was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was active in civic affairs.
Surviving are her son Chad, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren: Preceding her in death were her husband Charles Willard Hansen, Jr. and four babies who died at birth. (Obituary condensed.)
If you have any of her miniature statues, they are so beautiful! I have one of the Woman in Prayer Statue. Once it got broken on one side, and I can display it showing the good side. It is in my china cabinet today. One of my daughters, Anita, worked for her awhile in her home, doing some little chores for her and her craft. Another daughter, Pamela, posed as a model for one of her small statues.
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