CURTIS HANSON obituary

POST FALLS, Idaho - Curtis O. Hanson, 82, of Post Falls, Idaho, died Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2006, at his home following a lengthy illness.

Follow-ing cremation, his ashes will be interred with those of his wife, daughter and son at the Hillcrest Lawn Mausoleum in Great Falls. No services are planned at his request, but a revelry and celebration of his life characteristically suggested by him will be announced at a later date.

He was born May 20, 1923, in Malta to Claude and Emma Hanson. He spent his youth on the Hi-Line, attending high school in Havre and Great Falls, where he assisted his father managing and later operating the Studebaker automobile dealership.

He served honorably in World War II as an Army infantryman in the South Pacific and was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. Following his discharge, he continued his career in the automobile business, opening and operating Western Volkswagen in Great Falls for many years. His keen business acumen and expertise resulted in his involvement in many automobile dealerships in Montana and Oregon and other diverse commercial ventures.

Achieving his goals early in life, he retired and spent considerable time traveling the world with his beloved wife and lifetime companion, Lillian (Kindschy). They resettled in Portland, Ore., opening and operating Trails End Gallery of Western Art in Oldtown for a number of years before their real retirement in Post Falls in 1983.

He was very active in membership and philanthropy with many organizations including Masons, Scottish Rite, Shrine, Elks and Eagles, culminating with the dedication in his name of a Shrine hall recently built in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho.

His legacy will live on in the form of substantial future donations to the C.M. Russell Museum and Easter Seals of Great Falls, Hospice of North Idaho and the Spokane Shriners Hospital.

Survivors include his sister, Iris DeMarco of Great Falls, son-in-law, Bernard Krystkowiak of Kalispell; grandchildren, Carly and Alyssa Krystkowiak, of Kalispell; numerous nieces and nephews; and many dear friends he considered family.

He was preceded in death by his daughter, Marla; wife, Lillian; and son, James.

Memorials in his name can be sent to the Spokane Shriners Hospital, 911 W. Fifth Ave., Spokane, WA 99204-2901 or at http://www.shrinershq.org/shc/spokane/.