Karl R. Hansen, DVM, known by many as “Doc Hansen” age 88, died February 8, 2020, at the Good Samaritan Care Center in Beatrice, Nebraska, where he had resided for the past eleven years.
Inurnment and graveside services will be at the Somerford Cemetery, near Sargent, Nebraska on Memorial Day, May 31, 2021 at 11 am. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to Good Samaritan Society-Angel’s Landing, 401 S 22nd St, Beatrice, NE 68310 or to Somerford Cemetery Endowment Fund, c/o Betty Hansen, 44705 Sargent River Road, Sargent, NE 68874.
Karl was born to Anton and Grace Hansen on a farm west of Sargent, NE on September 3, 1931. He grew up on the farm working with his father and brothers. His early elementary school years were at a one-room, country schoolhouse where due to class size and Karl’s ability, he skipped a grade and thus was in the same class as his older brother. Karl later boarded in town to attend Sargent Public Schools and worked at Reier Department Store. He graduated with the Sargent High School class of 1948.
Karl graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1953, having worked his way through college as a mason. After UNL graduation, his tour of duty in the Army took him to Germany where he would spend his leave time haying with his Danish relatives on family farms near Ostervra, Denmark. In May 1955, he was honorably discharged and came back to work as a mason in Lincoln briefly before enrolling in pre-vet courses at Kansas State College (now Kansas State University). He gained acceptance into the School of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State, graduating with his DVM in 1960.
He first practiced under a veterinarian in Mound City, MO, eventually opening his own practice in Oregon, MO. The family moved to a farm where Karl had horses, cattle, and hogs outside of Oregon. Then in 1965, Karl took a position with a veterinary clinic in Hebron, Nebraska and later established his own practice with clinics in nearby Deshler and Davenport.
In 1977, Karl moved to northern Nebraska to farm and ranch near Newport and Rose and do some part-time vet work. In the 1990s, he started selling used farm equipment and resided in Sargent, Nebraska. In the early part of this century, he briefly worked for the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service and was sent to California to fill temporary needs.
Karl had the Danish ancestral sweet tooth and loved to play cards. When he wasn’t in his mobile vet vehicle, you could probably find him eating sweets and playing cards with his Danish, Swedish, or German clients and friends from Hebron to Ruskin, or Chester to Davenport.
He married Pauline Watton in 1955. They had 6 children: Lance, Karla, Peter, Dirk, Holly, and Jill. Eventually, this marriage ended.
Karl was preceded in death by his infant sister, Marianna, parents, four of his children, Peter, Dirk, Holly and Lance, and one grandchild, Matthew Hansen.
He is survived by brothers, Anton Jr ( Anne) of Paradise, CA, David (Connie) of Anselmo, NE, Louis (Betty) of Sargent, NE; sisters, Martha (Dwayne) Krabel and Margaret (Homer) Pierce of Hastings, NE; children, Karla (Evan) Parsons of Manhattan, KS, and Jill (Marco) Rengan of Lincoln, NE; seven grandchildren, Brendon (Andrea) Parsons, Jared (Casey) Parsons, Megan (Eric) Robison, Jennifer (Michael) Hansen-Richmond, Laura (Jim) Oliva, Clinton (Laura) Parsons, Erin Rengan; and eleven great-grandchildren, Jacob Robison, Cole Parsons, Audrey Robison, Isabel Parsons, Braxton Parsons, Logan Hansen-Richmond, Jace Parsons, Tanner Parsons, Morgan Hansen-Richmond, Calliope Oliva, and Frank Oliva.
