Larry Schneider Hansen

Larry Schneider Hansen, 90, of Gillsville, GA passed away on May 15, 2024.

Larry was born 1/12/1934 at old Stormont Hospital in Topeka, Kansas

to the late Dr Willis Claude and Francis Hansen.  He had one sister, Gracia Lowman formerly of La Junta, Colorado.  Larry attended Randolph Grade school in Topeka as well as grade schools in Joplin, Missouri when his father was in service at Camp Crowder Missouri as a dentist.  He attended Boswell Junior High and Topeka High School where he graduated in 1952.  Upon graduation from high school, he attended Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri where he graduated Cum Laudi in Social Agency Administration in 1956.

Boy scouts were very much a part of Larry’s teenage years and he joined the Boy Scout Troop # 16 at the First United Methodist Church while in seventh grade.  He received Eagle rank, God and Country award while in the troop, as well as the Vigil Honor in the Order of the Arrow honorary camping organization.

Larry met and dated Barbara Beth Baker as a sophomore in high school.  They found each other again over Christmas break of their freshman year of college.  They were married June 5, 1955 between his junior and senior year of college. Barbara had completed her degree after her third year at Emporia State Teachers College and she began teaching while he finished his degree. Larry was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity and was an officer of each organization.

Upon graduation from college, his first job was at Montgomery Ward’s mail order facility where he was a merchandiser, responsible for maintaining a satisfactory inventory of merchandise for a given line of products.  In May of 1958 Larry joined Avon Products in the Kansas City facility as a production line supervisor and was able to move into increasing higher levels of responsibility over the years with Avon.  For several years Larry was Division Manager over the sales in the states of Oklahoma, West Texas, and New Mexico.  Beginning in 1970 he was appointed as the Operations Manager for the Kansas City Avon branch.  In 1975 Larry was promoted the Vice President of Operation for the Avon subsidiary Avon Fashions in Newport News, Va.  In the fall of 1977 the family moved to Atlanta for Larry to be Branch Operation Manager of the Avon Facility.

In 1980 Larry left Avon and established Hansen Distributing, Inc.  His company provided the merchandise to fill vending machines and served accounts in the North Georgia area.  In 1995 he and Barbara retired, sold the business, and moved to Blue Ridge, Georgia to make their weekend home a full -time residence.

Larry and Barbara became very active in the congregation of the Blue Ridge United Methodist Church. The church was experiencing a growth cycle and Larry was asked to lead a fundraising campaign to expand the church facility.  Upon the completion of the campaign, Larry was tasked with coordinating said expansion of the facility. In 2000 Barbara and Larry joined the Cherry Log Christian Church. This rapidly growing church soon found it needed a larger facility and Larry was again tapped to lead the Building Committee.

In 2013 they sold their mountain home and built a new home in the Gillsville community near their son’s family.  They joined the Gainesville First United Methodist Church and became members of the Chancel Choir.

Survived by his wife of 69 years, Barbara Baker Hansen of Gillsville, Georgia; daughter, Susan Lorrie (George) Huckabee of Topeka, Kansas; son Stephen Arthur (Lisa) Hansen of Gillsville, Georgia; daughter Anna Marie (Bill) Jones of Dawsonville, Georgia; and son Bradley Curtis (Renee’) Hansen of Greenville, South Carolina, 8 grandchildren, and 13 great grandchildren.

Larry was an exceptionally gifted woodworker and has produced hundreds of exquisite pieces of furniture for their home as well as extended family. He could look at a piece of furniture on the floor of a salesroom and replicate it exactly for an elegant addition to their home.

If you knew Larry, you have known one of the finest examples of a godly man. As one of his long-time friends shared, “I have known and worked with some amazing people on four continents and in thirty plus countries- Larry Hansen is the finest man it has ever been my privilege to know.”

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 18, 2024 at 2:00 PM in the chapel of Gainesville First United Methodist church. Reverend Jamey Prickett will be officiating.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting memorial gifts be made to Gainesville First United Methodist church Chancel Choir (2780 Thompson Bridge Road, Gainesville, GA 30506). 

Memorial Park Riverside Chapel 989 Riverside Drive Gainesville, Georgia is in charge of arrangements. For online condolences www.memorialparkfuneralhomes.com