Carl Christian Hansen

Carl Christian Hansen 1927-2016 Carl Hansen was born on a small farm outside of Copenhagen Denmark in 1927. He was the oldest of 6 children. At the age of 14, as was customary, Carl was sent to a larger farm in faraway Jutland so he could earn money and learn the farming trade. He would go back and forth between Jutland and Zealand on rare two-day weekends and Christmas by riding his bike. As a young man, he was conscripted into the Danish Royal Hussars Regiment, where he drove a tank in the motorized infantry. In 1950, he won the U.S. Visa Lottery and was given 6 months to emigrate. With a loan from his Aunt and Uncle, he arrived to the United States in 1950. He lived in New Jersey and bought a car at his first opportunity. In 1953, that Hudson became extremely popular with his fellow U.S. Army Servicemen, who didn't have wheels and wanted to get off the base during leave. His service in the Army, in a Construction Engineers Battalion, gave him an interest in Engineering, and with a 7th grade education and a Danish-English dictionary, he took the College Entrance Exam, passed, and enrolled in a small Danish College in Des Moines, Iowa, Grandview College, on the GI Bill. He later went to the University of Minnesota, where he earned a Masters Degree in Civil Engineering. As a young engineer working for Otis Elevator, he met his future bride, Jane Ann Mikkelsen, on the SS Bergensfjord as the ship was departing New York Harbor on the way to Copenhagen. She was sprawled on a deck chair with a camera in hand, and Carl asked if she wanted him to take a picture. She said yes. Her father had emigrated to the U.S. in 1929, and she was going over to visit her father's family, while Carl was going home to visit his. They didn't see as much of their families as they expected, and were married in 1959. In rapid succession, Jane and Carl had 5 children. Carl (Chris) in 1959, John in 1960, Joe in 1962, Jim in 1964 and Karen in 1966. They lived in a small brick house in a working-class suburban neighborhood west of Chicago. Carl rose in the ranks at Otis Elevator, where he was the "super-adjuster" of the elevators being installed in the John Hancock building. On a trip with the whole family to Denmark in 1969, Carl stopped by the local Otis office and was instantly offered a job. Carl accepted the one-year position, moved his family to Denmark and stayed 9 years. While in Denmark, he had been "loaned out" by the Danish branch, and at one point held positions in France, Denmark and Finland simultaneously. In 1979, he returned to the US, having accepted a job with Otis in Palm Beach Gardens as an international field auditor for the company. With his new job in Florida, Carl traveled the world, and visited up to 100 companies on all continents, except Antarctica. He took Jane with him on many of these trips. He flew First Class with Pan Am to Asia, and became one of their early million milers. Upon retirement, Carl took a consulting job, but otherwise spent much of his time with Jane visiting their five children who were building families of their own. Carl took a strong interest in his church, Holy Spirit Lutheran Church in Palm Beach Gardens, and many charities and service organizations in northern Palm Beach County, including Rotary and Club 100. Jane passed away in 2003, and their second oldest son, John, in 2012. He is survived by 4 siblings, 4 children, 11 grandchildren, and one great grandchild. The great grandchild, who was born just 2 months ago, is named Carl Hansen, and lives on a farm outside of Copenhagen. Memorial contributions may be made to the Museum of Danish America, 2212 Washington Street, Elk Horn, IA 51531, www.danishmuseum.org.

Carl Christian Hansen

October 12, 2016