Obituary

NANCY JAN HANSEN

Kind, charming, intellectual and artistic Nancy Hansen passed away peacefully at home in Villa Grande on October 31, 2016.

She was born on September 15, 1935 in Alameda, California to Juna and Bill Hansen.

Her early years were spent at public schools in Oakland, where she formed many life-long friendships and developed an early sense of social justice and morality, most particularly in the socratic seminars of Hyman (“Doc”) Haydis. She had many happy memories of working at Feather River Family Camp. Throughout her childhood and young adult years Nancy studied ballet with Raoul Pause at his studio in Oakland. After graduating from Oakland Technical High School in 1953, she started her university studies and studied theater with Hedwiga Reicher in Los Angeles .

In 1961 she graduated from U.C. Berkeley with a Bachelor's Degree in Dramatic Art, married and started her family. In the 60s she cared for her own two daughters and godson, as well as many other young ones in her home daycare business in Berkeley, where she was also involved with the performing arts and cultural invigoration of the times.

Nancy worked as a professional, and for the love of it, at many Bay Area theaters and film companies, and developed The Actors School in Albany in 1970.

She spent twenty five years in administrative positions, pioneering programs in bioethics during the 70’s and 80’s at Providence Hospital in Oakland, San Leandro Hospital, Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco. (1970 - 1995)

In 1981 she discovered the small community of Villa Grande on the Russian River, and soon purchased the Rose Cottage that would be her favorite home and a treasured weekend getaway for friends and family, who were sure to find engaging conversation, fun scrabble and crosswords, along with a glass of chardonnay, on the sometimes sunny deck among the redwoods.

In retirement in 1997 she enjoyed studies in ballet, history and theater at Santa Rosa Community College as well as travels to Europe and yearly reunions with her group of grammar school girlfriends.

In these years she began her community involvement with Pegasus Theater in Monte Rio as an actor, director, box office manager, sometime set painter and all round community member, eventually serving as Artistic Director for ten years between 2003 and 2013.

She is survived by her daughters Kristin Argue and Tati Argue, grandson Athos Argue-Hassanein, sister Kip Hudson and brother-in-law Jay Hudson, nephews Bill Hudson (Kasey) and John Hudson (Jan) and great-nieces and nephews, cousin Diane Cosgrove Barth, godson Aaron Baldwin and his family, the Zergers, the Dutchers, Tech High class of 53, the Robb-Wilders, Mark Gregory Wichorek, the Argues, Pegasus Theater, JoAnne Young, the House-Edmunds,  Noel Yates, the Sampsons, the Boschs, Ray Gerba, Friends of Villa Grande and many more dear friends from the Bay Area and the River. During her life she had meaningful personal partnerships with John Argue, Joseph Riley and Dan McCarty.

Nancy was predeceased by her dearest friend, Hank McDonnell, with whom she shared many of these activities from the year 1939 to 2002, as well as brilliant conversations, love of the arts, courage of convictions and copious laughter.

Gifts in her memory may be made to Friends of Villa Grande (villagrande.org) or Pegasus Theater (pegasustheater.com).

There will be a celebration of her life January 7th, at the Monte Rio Community Center, at 2:00.