Letty June Hanson

Letty June Hanson, 98, died of natural causes on September 15, 2020, at her daughter’s home in Great Falls. She died surrounded by family and with the old-time country music she loved playing in the background. A graveside service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 26, 2020, at Highland Cemetery. Letty was born on June 22, 1922, in Belt, Montana to Margie Ann and William Forman Talbott. She had six sisters and one brother. She attended schools in Belt. As a teenager, did laundry at the hospital, cleaned houses, and helped raise her nieces and nephews, something she would continue doing for the rest of her life. Letty met a young man in 1940, who was working in a nearby Civilian Conservation Corps camp. A year later, on September 20, 1941, Letty married Maurice “Hans” Hanson, beginning a long and wonderful life together. Letty and Hans had two daughters and were inseparable for 59 years. Together, they built their home board by board, essentially camping out with their daughters until it was finished. Over the years, Letty and Hans remodeled several times, always working together, with Letty supervising. Their home became a comfortable and happy gathering place for family and friends, who for decades, came over to sit on the front porch with Letty and Hans. They lived together in their home until his death in 2000. Letty took great pride in her home, and lived there until shortly before her death surrounded by pictures of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She was small in stature but large in spirit. She was always determined, had a stubborn streak, and nobody doubted her toughness. Something she attributed to growing up on a depression-era farm with seven siblings. But Letty was also warm and wise. She had a big heart and generous spirit. Those who needed help or advice often showed up at Letty’s door and were never turned away. The way she lived, openly, honestly, and selflessly, served as an example to all who knew her. Letty was preceded in death by her husband, Maurice; sisters, Patty Wilda, Marjorie Olson, Jesse Ashworth, Goldie Johnson, Gladys Hendrickson, and Maude Atkinson; and brother, Sonny Talbott. She is survived by two daughters, June Kernaghan and Connie (Jim) Taule; three grandchildren, who lovingly called her “Grammy,” Kyle (Shelly) Lingscheit, Tahnee Lingscheit, and Corey (Nichole) Taule; and five great-grandchildren, Logan Foster, Sadie Foster, Luke Lingscheit, Ben Taule, and Owen Taule. Letty’s family would like to thank the staff at Benefis Peace Hospice of Montana for helping make her final days peaceful. Hers was a life well-lived. And while she will be greatly missed by those who loved her, all of us feel fortunate to have had Grammy in our lives for so long and take comfort in knowing that she and Hans are together again.