Neilan Hanson

Neilan Hanson, 72, of Dows, passed away Sunday, March 19, 2017 at Israel Family Hospice in Ames. Funeral services will be 10:30 am Friday, March 24, 2017 at the First Lutheran Church in Dows. Burial will be at the Otis Grove Cemetery, Dows. Visitation will be from 5-8 pm on Thursday, March 23 at the church. Woodley Funeral Home, LLC of Iowa Falls is caring for Neilan and his family. Neilan Hanson was born August 20, 1944 in Iowa Falls, Iowa to Evelyn and Kenneth Hanson of Dows, Iowa. The youngest of four children, he grew up on the farm where he lived with his wife of 50 years. Growing up, Neilan attended Dows Community Schools, where he participated in football and basketball, was a pitcher for the baseball team, and a state qualifier for the discus in track. He and his brothers were very active 4H members, with exhibits in the Communications project, and showed Ayrshire Cattle at various shows in Iowa and other states, as well as hogs at the Franklin County and Iowa State Fairs. After graduating from Dows High School in 1962, he enrolled in Iowa State University. Neilan was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity and during his sophomore year at ISU, he met Patricia Bryant. They were married on September 10, 1966 in Schaller, Iowa, and remained happily so for 51 years. Upon graduating from Iowa State University with a Bachelor's degree in Dairy Science, he was employed by Ralston Purina Company in Perry, Williamsburg and Bancroft. Neilan left Purina in 1975, when the couple moved back to rural Dows to make their home and join the family farming operation with his brother Norman and father Kenneth. Neilan farmed for 42 years, with the major emphasis of the operation being corn and soybeans. Through the years, cattle and then sheep became a large part of the "Hanson Boys" farming operation, with the legacy of 4-H participation continuing with his own children, again, at the Franklin County and Iowa State Fair. Throughout his farming career, Neilan shared his passion for agriculture with many as a DeKalb Seed Corn dealer, and owned and operated a farm chemical and anhydrous business as well. Neilan retired in 2015. Those left to cherish his memory are his wife, Trish of Dows, Iowa; a daughter, Kari (Kevin) Bell of Nevada, Iowa; grandchildren: Hanna, Rebeka, Erik and Marii Bell; brother, Norman Hanson of Dows, Iowa; sister-in-law, Geraldine Hanson of Edmonds, WA; aunts, Shirley Weiss of Las Vegas, NV and Arlene Engelby of Iowa Falls, Iowa; numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. Neilan was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Erik Hanson; infant sister, Linda; brother, Merrill Hanson, sister-in-law Carol Hanson; his grandparents and numerous aunts and uncles.

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Neilan Hanson

August 20, 1944 - March 19, 2017