April 27th, 1945 - September 28th, 2024
Our beloved Husband, Father, friend and neighbour Albert Davis ‘Dave’ Hansen passed away suddenly at Groves Memorial Community Hospital in Fergus, Ontario on Saturday, September 28, 2024. With loving family at his side Dave was blessed with an abundance of support and care as he peacefully and gracefully left us.
He will be dearly missed by Janice Hansen (née Ross) his loving wife and best friend of 41 years, by his children Wayne and Laura (Lynn-Anne Tough) and Davie (Sharon Reeves). He was brother of: Phyllis (predeceased), Helen (predeceased), Betty, Shirley, and Lewis. He was grandfather to ten grandchildren; Justin Dew and Ashleigh Passa, Mathieu Hansen, Kaleigh, Destiny and Kristan Reeves, Logan, Mason, and Megan Spencer as well as two great grandchildren; Temperance and Lincoln Dew, all of whom were touched by his gentle spirit and constant curiosity. He will be lovingly and fondly remembered by an innumerable cast of friends he made throughout his lifetime.
A proud Danish Canadian, Davis was born to Albert and Frances Hansen (neé Jensen) in Pictou, Nova Scotia where Albert worked in the shipyard during the Second World War. Davis’ true home however was the family potato farm on Klokadahl Hill in New Denmark, New Brunswick. Like many of his generation Davis headed west to Toronto in 1965 seeking a new and different life in the big city. Dave and his family lived in various towns and cities before settling in Fergus in 1997. Prior to his retirement in 2011, Dave worked in many occupations including farming, manufacturing, aircraft repairs as well as many years in the automotive repair sector. During his retirement, he was proud to be a Walmart greeter and produce specialist.
Davis was a man who lived by simple truths: help others, share laughter, and enjoy life’s sweetest moments. He was always eager to lend a hand, often rewarded not in money, but in heartfelt thanks and homemade baked goods—a currency he cherished far more. Few who knew him were left unmoved by his blonde hair, his electric blue eyes, devilish good looks, his warmth, curiosity and, above all, his endless capacity to help and to care. He was many things to many people. A wild man and a man of deep faith, a woodsman and a craftsman, a strong and sometimes stubborn man with intermittent hearing, a tremendous listener, a putterer, a tinkerer and a Jerry-rigger extraordinaire. A lover of cats.
Although he was also a Championship-winning baseball coach, his greatest accomplishments and achievements in life were never written about. They never earned him letters that he could attach to the end of his name. He has a small box of trophies. His family and his friends were far more important to Dave than accolades. Of all the skills he learned through a lifetime of hard work and sacrifice, his greatest skill and the most remarkable thing about Dave was his ability to make others feel seen, heard and loved. This was a skill that he gave away freely and his presence will be sorely missed by all who were fortunate to know him.
Arrangements entrusted to Graham A. Giddy Funeral Home in Fergus, Ontario. Cremation has taken place. Visitation will be held on October 4, 2024 from 10 to 11 am at Central Church, 7674 Colborne Street, Elora, Ontario with service and reception following.
A private family committal will take place at the Belsyde Cemetery. Memorial donations in Dave’s name can be made to The Heart & Stroke Foundation or Groves Memorial Community Hospital in Fergus.
