Terry Hansen

Terry Ray Hansen, 68, died of injuries suffered in a plane crash on Nov. 29, 2013, near St. Mary’s, Alaska.

He was born in Mason City, Iowa, on Aug. 3, 1945, to Ray and Irene (Olsen) Hansen of Clear Lake, Iowa.

He enlisted in the Navy and served four tours of duty in Vietnam. After his discharge, he returned to Clear Lake and went on to the University of Northern Iowa for accounting.

In 1977, he moved to Montana. He and Joe Basirico co-owned a whitewater rafting company at West Glacier. He also joined the maintenance staff at North Valley Hospital in Whitefish and worked there for several years until he completed flying lessons In Kalispell.

He flew parachutists up at Lost Prairie, rafters into Schafer Meadows and led retardant bombers into wildfires. In 1995, he took a job with Hageland Aviation of ERA Alaska as a bush pilot out of St. Mary’s.

He is survived by his longtime partner, Joanne Long, of St. Mary’s; mother Irene Hansen, of Whitefish; brother Tom Hansen and wife Carol, of Kalispell; sister Christie Grattidge and husband Mark, of Clear Lake; aunt Janice Bowman and husband Keith, of Des Moines, Iowa; and numerous cousins and second cousins.

A memorial service will be held at the Whitefish VFW on Saturday, Dec. 14,  at 1 p.m.