Vernal Eugene Hanson passed away May 9, 2006, at St. Anthony Regional Hospital in Carroll, Iowa of natural causes, just short of his 90th birthday.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, May 15th, 2:00 p.m., at the Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Lake View with burial at Ferguson Cemetery under the direction of the Farber & Otteman Funeral Home with Military Graveside Rites by the Lake View American Legion Eilert-Auen Post No. 133.

Visitation is from 4:00-8:00 p.m., Sunday, May 14th, at the church.

Vernal was born May 23, 1916, the eighth child of nine children, and the fifth of six sons of Emil and Gjertina Johnson Hanson, at rural Lake Lillian, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota. He grew up in the 1920’s and 30’s as a farm boy with the added economic activity of his father’s silo company. Vernal attended rural Lake Lillian schools, and the University of Minnesota Agricultural School for his high schooling.

On September 19, 1942, he married Audrey Roisum also of rural Kandiyohi County, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Vernal served in the Army during World War II as a communications lineman in the European Campaign. After the war Vernal and Audrey made their home in New London, Minnesota. Vernal worked with his father and brothers in the silo business. They lived in Luverne, Minnesota for five years before moving to Lake View, Iowa to start the Hanson Silo Company plant in 1955. He managed this business for 27 years, employing hundreds of men and constructing thousands of silos through the years. The white silo and later grey silo with the black and white checkerboard at the top is familiar to many in this area as coming from Vernal’s company. Many individuals who did business with him remember him as a sincere businessman and one whose word was his bond. If he said he would do something, he did. His workers have been known to remark he was the best boss they ever worked for.

Besides managing Hanson Silo Company, Vernal was active in the Lake View community where he was a member of the Lake View Commercial Club, served on the city council, served as elder and trustee of Emmanuel Lutheran Church, and served on the board of Spring Lake Country Club. Many improvements to the town, church and golf club were the direct the result of Vernal’s behind the scenes push or supplying of resources.

Vernal and Audrey had six children, Steven, Margaret, Mark, Bryan, Earl, and Nina. All six graduated from Lake View-Auburn High School, and went on to graduate from college because of their father’s encouragement and support.

Audrey passed away in 1981. On December 3, 1982, Vernal married his next-door neighbor of twenty-four years, Darlene Huisenga Wicker. Over the next twenty-three years Vernal and Darlene have played thousands of rounds of golf and hands of cards, and caught unnumbered fish (which Vernal cleaned). They wintered in Mesa, AZ each of these years, playing golf and cards with other Lake View and Sac County friends, until health prevented them from doing so this winter.

Vernal is preceded in death by his parents, four of his brothers, Carter, Willard, Newell and Donald; his three sisters, Irma, Ruby, and Mabel; his wife Audrey, and his son Steven.

Vernal is survived by his wife, Darlene and his brother, Alloys of New London, Minnesota. He is also survived by his children Margaret Fairchild (John, deceased) of Denison, Iowa, Mark and his wife Thalya (Durst) of Des Moines, Iowa, Bryan and his wife Dawn of Sacramento, California, Earl and his wife Janet (Lucht) of Luverne, Minnesota, and Nina and her husband Joel De Kock of New Richmond, Wisconsin; his eleven grandchildren, Steve’s daughter Jennifer Hanson Keegan, Margaret’s sons John Spencer Fairchild, Daniel Fairchild, Mark’s children Elizabeth Hanson Stephanou, David Hanson, Earl’s children Andrea Hanson Emery-Jones, Jacob Hanson, Hilary Hanson, Diana Hanson, and Nina’s children Walter De Kock, and Audrey De Kock; his three great grandchildren, Audrey Emery, Autumn Emery and James Keegan; and Darlene’s family Craig and Patty Wicker of Dallas, Texas and their sons Troy, Brock and Cary, Gary and Penny Wicker of Lake View, Iowa and their sons Chase and Colton, and Brent and Barbara Wicker of Dallas, Texas and their children Casey, Jessica, Cody and Kristen. Vernal is also survived by many nieces and nephews and their families.