Otto "LaVoy" Hansen

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85383676830?pwd=djRxTS9tbU9oQ24vOFhjaU9aMmZ1QT09 Otto “LaVoy” Hansen, 84, passed away at home on August 30, 2020 in South Jordan, Utah with his wife and daughter at his side. LaVoy was born September 3, 1935 in Murray, Utah to Otto James and Hazel Marsden Hansen. LaVoy married his sweetheart, Janice Wright, on March 7, 1958 for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake City Temple. LaVoy was born in the house where he grew up and learned the value of work on the small farm on his family property. He graduated from Granite High School and later attended the University of Utah where he played clarinet in the marching band and worked on the grounds crew. He took particular pride in keeping his assigned patch of lawn healthy and green. LaVoy worked as a manufacturing engineer for Eimco and later Lurgi. He spent the majority of his career inspecting parts manufactured for large industrial processing equipment and the installation of those parts. This work took him all over the country and he often had stretches where he would spend multiple weeks during a month on the road to provide for his family. He also had a brief second career in real estate before he fully retired. As a young man, LaVoy served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Eastern States Mission and spent most of his time in New York and Pennsylvania. Throughout his mission, he maintained correspondence with a beautiful young woman he met on a blind date to Saltaire. Shortly after his return, he asked her to marry him and, surprising to him and his children, she said yes. He always joked that he knew he had to marry the “Wright” woman- and there was no doubt to him or anyone that knows Janice that he truly did. Together he and Janice raised a family of two daughters and five sons in the Granger, Utah home that they built together and lived in for nearly 50 years. From him, their children learned to love God, work hard, and serve others. In addition to Saturdays spent working in the yard and around the house, while listening to football on the radio, his children often accompanied him to provide service to home teaching families, grandparents, widows, and others. His children will always cherish the times he spent camping as he brought up the rear on our many hikes, taught us to fish, and demonstrated the proper way to strike a tent in a downpour. LaVoy loved providing service in the church whether it was working on the welfare farms, building new chapels, or serving in a specific calling. He influenced many lives for the good as held many positions including primary teacher, scout master, quorum and auxiliary presidencies, Bishop, Clerk, and ward and fulltime missionary. Among those he had a particular love of keeping records and enjoyed many hours spent ensuring that membership and tithing records were complete and accurate. He and Janice labored together as inner-city missionaries in Salt Lake City before serving as senior couple missionaries in the Cape Town, South Africa mission. They cherished their time spent among the humble and loving people of South Africa and Namibia. Although he often struggled to express his feelings verbally, he loved his family deeply and demonstrated that in the ways he knew how; each of his children have benefitted from his labor in finishing basements, installing sprinklers, roofing houses, building sheds, and countless other projects. In addition to those temporal manifestations of his love was his worthiness and willingness to provide a blessing of comfort or healing, a father’s blessing, or perform baptisms, ordinations, and other ordinances for his family. In recent months, he spent his days thinking of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and praying for their individual needs. Though we will miss him deeply, we honor the legacy he leaves and rejoice in his many reunions beyond the veil. LaVoy is survived by his wife of 62 years, Janice and children Steve Hansen (DeAnn), Lynne Squires (Bill), Jeff Hansen (Elaine), Terry Hansen (Carol), Greg Hansen (Rachelle), Susan Breen (Randy), and Doug. He is also survived by 26 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. LaVoy is preceded in death by his parents, sisters Gladys Graham and Ottalyne Dinkelman, brothers VerNon Hansen and LaMonte Hansen, his beautiful daughter-in-law Wendy Hansen, and two great-granddaughters Emma and Amaya Wilkins. Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 am Saturday, September 5, 2020 at the Temple Point LDS Chapel at 11038 S. Braidwood Drive, South Jordan, Utah for immediate family, extended family, and close friends, with a viewing prior from 10:00-10:45 am. Due to COVID, this service will be primarily for immediate family, extended family and close friends, following proper protocols with face masks and social distancing. A live video streaming will be made available for those that will be unable to attend due to the health restrictions. To view the services online, go to www.serenityfhs.com (the feed will go live when the service begins). Internment will be at the Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park South Valley Cemetery located at 13001 S. 3600 W., Riverton, Utah. The family wish to thank Bishop Seth Atkinson and the Eastlake 5th Ward Relief Society for their compassionate and loving service at this difficult time. Please share memories and condolences at www.serenityfhs.com.

Otto "LaVoy" Hansen

September 3, 1935 - August 30, 2020