Lyle James Hanson

Lyle James Hanson, 92, of Fargo, ND, passed away on February 12, 2019 at Bethany on 42nd. He was born to Ray and Hilda Hanson on May 24, 1926 in Westbury, Minnesota.

Industriousness is the cornerstone of Lyle’s story. From a humble Depression-era beginning in rural Minnesota, Lyle learned the value of hard work and frugality. He attended a small country school through the 8th grade and then worked jobs as a milkman and farmhand in the Detroit Lakes, MN area. In his late teenage years, he learned the home building business from his father.

Soon after returning from service in WWII, Lyle married Delores Glawe in 1947. In 1949, he and his brother, Dewey, each raised $140 and started Hanson Bros. Construction. He built over 500 homes and structures in the Fargo-Moorhead area, and even one for his daughter in Papua New Guinea. His solid reputation laid the foundation for two generations of the family building business to follow. He was a charter member of the Home Builders Association.

He was as productive in leisure as in work. Lyle loved tending to “the woods” across the road from the family cabin on Big Floyd Lake. He and Delores had several gardens going at once, and with no small effort, brought water up from the lake one load at a time to keep things green.
In his retirement, Lyle used his building skills to help friends, neighbors, and members of his church community with repair and remodeling projects. His motivation leaned more towards lending a helping hand than making big money. Among his greatest joys was going to auctions to buy antique tools. He delighted in turning junk into gems, especially wood planes of which he collected and painstakingly reconditioned more than 200.

Lyle brought a sense of humor and fun to most situations. At work he’d say, “We can finish that job while we’re resting and then get back to work.” At Christmas, lefse was “rightsa”. Having fun and adventure was important, and he is well-known for waterskiing at age 79. Other interests included golf, woodworking, and sprint car racing.
In 2004, with the same can-do attitude, Lyle endured being partially paralyzed from a stroke. With limited mobility, watching the Twins and Westerns were his mainstays, and daily reading led to cycling through at least one Bible a year. Along with his faith, he was sustained by Delores’s devoted caregiving and partnership to the very end.

He is preceded in death by his parents and survived by his wife of 71 years, Delores; sister, Leone Leitheiser; brothers, Dewey (Marge) and Wesley (Evelyn); children, Vernon (Genece), Gerald (Carol), and Kay (Tim) Hughes; six grandchildren; and seventeen great grandchildren.