JoAnn Hansen, 84, of Atlantic, Iowa, died Friday, September 1, 2023, at her home surrounded by family.
JoAnn was born in Anita, Iowa, on March 22, 1939, the daughter of William “Bill” and Erma Baier. JoAnn was raised by her grandmother, Martha Fowble and shared stories with her family through the years about growing up with the bare necessities and looking forward to the large chicken dinner they had every Sunday. She attended school in Atlantic and during this time worked at the cleaners and also babysat in a time when you were paid 25 cents an hour and were expected to not only watch the kids but clean everything. JoAnn graduated from Atlantic High School.
On August 31, 1959, she was united in marriage to Amasa “Hammer” Pope in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The couple made their home in Avoca and she worked outside the home for a short time at Atlantic Bottling and detasseling for area farmers before becoming a full-time homemaker. They were blessed with six children, Kenny, Vicki, Tammy, Sally, Tawny and Butch. Hammer died in 1988. JoAnn later married Roger Hansen on June 14, 1997, at the Eagles Lodge in Atlantic. The couple always stayed close to home but had an amazing time on a trip they took to visit Roger’s brother in North Carolina.
JoAnn was an amazing cook, her mulligan stew, banana bread and Thanksgiving turkey (Dave at the Hy-Vee meat department always saving her the biggest one they got in) were family favorites. She had other specialties too and no matter how hard her kids tried to duplicate them, it just wasn’t the same. JoAnn loved playing cards (and oh, was she a fierce Pitch player!) and watching westerns–Gun Smoke and Bonanza were her favorites. Home was where she was the happiest and it was made a little sweeter by her lovely flowers and when the family would get together for cookouts. JoAnn still did things “the old-fashioned way” and could never grasp why anyone would do it different, griping at her kids about why they didn’t use their clothes lines or get into canning foods. She was a collector and had knick-knacks galore – LTD will likely notice a drop in sales in the months to come. JoAnn also liked shopping for them at Dollar General and Wal-Mart, butterflies, chimes and solar lights being the majority of what she purchased. The family laughed over the image in their minds of her having so many solar lights that the yard looked like an airport runway!
Her blunt personality was one you either liked or didn’t! JoAnn never hesitated to speak her mind and tell it like it was! This actually made people like and appreciate her—you never guessed where you stood in her eyes.
JoAnn is survived by her husband, Roger Hansen; children, Vicki (Steve) Schueman, Tammy (Robert) Keithley, Sally Will, Tawny (Adam) Grote and Butch (Melissa) Pope; Roger’s sons, Christopher, Adrian, and Seth Hansen; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren; siblings, Judy (Harvey) Williamson, Gary (Bernice) Baier, Lauri (Robert) Sampson and Kevin (Martha) Baier; sisters-in-law, Colleen Hansen and Janice (Paul) Scott; brother-in-law, Victor (Barb) Hansen; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family.
She is preceded in death by her parents, William “Bill” and Erma Baier; grandmother, Martha Fowble; first husband, Amasa “Hammer” Pope; son, Kenny Pope; grandchildren, Tyler, Tiffany, Tim Jr., and Maxwell; brothers, Junior Baier, Ricky Baier, Danny Baier and Larry Baier; and brother-in-law, Richard Hansen.
Visitation with the family present will begin at 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, September 5th at Roland Funeral Home in Atlantic, followed by the funeral service at 10:30 a.m. Burial will be in the Graceland Cemetery in Avoca, Iowa.
Memorials may be directed to the family.
Roland Funeral Service is caring for JoAnn’s family and her arrangements. Condolences may be left at www.rolandfuneralservice.com.
