Keith Hanson

Keith A. Hanson passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones, on January 16, 2021. Keith was born in St. James, Minnesota on August 27, 1944 to John and Alice (Brekke) Hanson. He was baptized at Albion Lutheran Church, where he was also later confirmed. His mother had been a country schoolteacher and encouraged Keith's love of learning. He worked industriously with his father and two brothers on the family farm near Godahl,while also being active in youth organizations, serving as an officer in Luther League and FFA, and finding time to play catcher for the Godahl baseball team. After graduating from St. James High School in 1962, Keith moved to St. Paul, MN where he attended the University of Minnesota and graduated with Bachelors of Agricultural Education degree in 1966. As an undergraduate, he became active on the St. Paul Campus student council and was eventually elected president. While there, he also met his beautiful and loving wife, Irene, as she attended Hamline University, and they married in 1966 shortly after his graduation. He worked for several years as a Washington County agricultural agent, while also attending night school at William Mitchell College of Law. He graduated from William Mitchell in 1973. With the encouragement and support of his wife, Irene, he also pursued further study in International Law at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. and received an International Law L.L.M. degree in 1981. Keith spent his legal career working as a litigation attorney. He first was a partner at Fetterly and Gordon, PA. Then around 2000, he went into solo practice. He handled numerous multi-million-dollar property loss cases throughout the country. One notable case was the fire at the Associate Milk Producers butter plant in New Ulm, Minnesota. The case took many years to complete, but Keith worked day and night to get the case to a successful conclusion. Keith's love of the law came from his desire to always seek truth and justice. Keith was an amazing husband, father, son, and brother. He was loved by all who knew him and drew people in with his warm and loving personality. He and his family made sure to spend the sabbath each week at church and then followed it by a day of activities together. He was very adventurous and loved traveling around the world with his family. He might be best remembered for his love of the outdoors, where he spent many afternoons outside reading the paper while listening to the sounds of nature, and playing with his children and grandchildren. He also loved to garden, run, and was a baseball enthusiast. He enjoyed collecting antiques, artwork, model cars, and different forms of currency from around the world. Of all his accomplishments, Keith was most proud of his family. He is survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Irene, his children Elizabeth Hanson, Mark Hanson, Danielle (Hanson) Broscoff, Nate Broscoff, and his grandchildren: Elijah, Aubrey, and Autumn Broscoff. He is also survived by his older brother Philip, as well as his twin brother, Kenneth, and sister-in-law Kathy, sister-in-law, Janie, and brother-in-law, Allan, plus numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents Alice and John, as well as his sister Adele Madsen, brother-in-law Dale Madsen, and sister-in-law, Jane Anderson-Hanson. Keith was known as a very kind, thoughtful, and loving man to all those who knew him. He will be deeply missed. Blessed be his memory. Private funeral services will be held at Albion Lutheran Church on Friday, January 22, 2021 with Rev. Robert Springer officiating. Burial will follow at the church cemetery.