RW/NWA Capt. William Anthony Hansen

 

~ IN MEMORY ~

RW/NWA Capt. William Anthony Hansen

February 19, 1941 - December 23, 2020

 

Notification with the passing of retired Hughes Airwest/Northwest pilot Captain William Anthony Hansen, age 79.  Captain Hansen is survived by his wife Diane along with his children and grandchildren.

Obituary information for Captain Hansen is available online at

https://www.washburn-mcreavy.com/obituaries/William-Hansen-17/  Also at

https://video.startribune.com/obituaries/detail/0000378655/?fullname=william-anthony-hansen

Thank you,

~ Carol for the PCN 

 

Obituary  : Hansen, William Anthony

Hansen, William Anthony age 79 of Minneapolis died peacefully at home on December 23, 2020 of complications from Parkinsons Disease. Bill was preceded in death by his mother Suzanne Hansen and his father Robert Hansen. He is survived by his wife of 50 years Diane Birdeen Hansen, his children Scott W. Hansen, Robyn K. Hansen (Devin Zeller), Todd W. Hansen (Gina Young) and grandchildren Quinlan Zeller and Presley Zeller. He is also survived by sisters Mildred Koughn and Susan Walters, brother Michael Hansen, nephews Brian and Kevin Slettvet, Eric and Marc Hansen, Sam Copenhagen, and niece Kari Magill. Also friend John Eskuri who he mentored through auto racing and flying airplanes.

Bill was born in San Francisco, grew up in the Seattle area and graduated from Lake Stevens High School in 1957. He attended Olympic College in Bremerton and the University of Washington where he met Diane Copenhagen. They were married on November 28, 1970. Meanwhile, Bill was progressing towards his goal of becoming a commercial airline pilot. He had only been in an airplane once when he started learning to fly. He worked for Hughes Airwest for a year and then was hired in 1968 by Northwest Airlines. He loved being a commercial airline pilot and flew until he retired as a 747 captain in 2001. He was a skilled and confident pilot.

Also meanwhile, Bill was concerned about all the labor problems and strikes at NWA so he went to William Mitchell Law School in order to have a back up profession. He got his JD and passed the bar. Bill started driving racecars in his late teens and again in the 1970s and 1980s. He loved to win but he also just loved to race.

In the early 70s Bill and Diane started slowly buying and managing apartment buildings. At first they did most of the work themselves eventually owning 16 Brownstones and having wonderful employees at Copenhagen Enterprises. He loved acquiring a building that needed work and turning it around. He especially enjoyed buildings in the Stevens Square Area. Bill is a member of Lake Nokomis Presbyterian Church.

In the early 70s he ventured into local politics by gathering together some friends and neighbors and running for the Park Board. Bill learned to hunt in Washington State and eventually acquired hunting land and a cabin in Mora, Minnesota. He roamed the woods and hung out in deer stands with his children, their spouses and his grandchildren. Many wonderful times were spent at the cabin with family and friends. Bill was a passionate and loyal father and friend. Bill loved his family, flying airplanes, racing cars, and his dogs.

There will be a memorial or celebration of life gathering in the summer of 2021. Memorials can be sent to Hope for Paws or The Humane Society.