Barbara Hansen, wife of the late Rev. Ernest “Ernie” Hansen, died March 8, 2026, in Lacey, Washington. She was 92.
Barbara Jean Swanson was born on April 1, 1933, to parents Bertil and Mamie Swanson, the youngest of nine children raised on a farm outside Kingsburg, California. She attended both Reedley College and San Jose State University before marrying Ernie Hansen, her high school sweetheart, on June 29, 1954.
Barbara and Ernie embarked on a life of ministry that was truly a team effort. Their early years took them to Berkeley, where they both studied at the University of California, then to Chicago, where Ernie completed studies at North Park Theological Seminary in 1961.
Following his ordination that year, Barbara and Ernie moved to Nome, Alaska, along with their two young daughters, Lois and Shirley, where they served as missionaries at the radio station KICY for six years. At KICY, Barbara wore several hats, but she was mostly known as “The Story Lady.” She had her own program where she read children’s books to an audience throughout northwestern Alaska, an area that did not yet have television or even another radio station.
In 1967, the Hansens returned to California and pastoral ministry at Alum Rock Covenant Church in San Jose, California, where they served until 1975, and then at Crown Valley Covenant Church in Laguna Niguel. In 1980, they moved to Gig Harbor, Washington, to lead a cell group from Tacoma that became
Harbor Covenant Church. They spent 20 happy years tending that congregation before retiring and returning for a short time to their roots in Kingsburg, California.
The Pacific Northwest beckoned again in 2002, and Barbara and Ernie set down their final roots at the Panorama retirement community in Lacey, Washington. They were active members within the Panorama community and at their church, Grace Community Covenant Church in Olympia. Ernie passed away in 2016, and Barbara continued life with her characteristic joy and energy. She became known as the “Scrubby Lady” because of the thousands of nylon scrubbies she crocheted and gave away or sold at the gift shop.
In 2023, Barbara had a fall that left her mostly wheelchair bound, and she moved into the skilled nursing facility at Panorama. She adapted to her smaller quarters and remained an avid jigsaw puzzler up through her very last days. Some of her final words were, “I’ve had a wonderful life.”
Barbara was preceded in death by her husband, Ernie. She is survived by her two daughters, Lois Kimber (John) and Shirley Martin (Brent); five grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
A memorial service for Barbara, is scheduled for Saturday, May 9, at 11:00 am, at Grace Community Covenant Church. A reception will follow.
Peace be to her memory.
