Mary Ursula (Detwiller) Hansen, 91, entered eternal life April 16, 2021, at Brandywine Living at The Sycamore in Shrewsbury.
Mary was born Oct. 21, 1929, to Dr. Albert Knecht Detwiller and Margaret Janet Detwiller (O’Dowd) in New York, New York. She was second to the youngest of eight children. Many of her friends and most of her huge family called her Ursula or Aunt Ursula throughout her life.
She spent her early years growing up on 153 Beach, 129th St., Belle Harbor, Far Rockaway, New York, a place that cemented her love for sun, surf and the ocean. Thankfully she passed this on to her children, who to this day have that same love.
She attended school and church at St. Francis DeSales in Belle Harbor, right down the street from her family home. She attended high school at Our Lady of Wisdom Academy, Ozone Park, New York. Mary attended and graduated with a B.S. from Brooklyn College. She was adventurous and fun-loving, taking a storybook trip across the country to California in her new convertible car with another girlfriend after college to see the U.S. She later moved to Ohio and took a job with General Electric, of which she was very proud.
While in Ohio, she met and married Robert E. Hansen, and the two of them raised three children. In her later years she worked and lived in Virginia before retiring to New Smyrna, Florida.
Mary Ursula is survived by all three of her children: Carl S. Hansen of Key Largo, Florida, with his wife Tammy; John E. Hansen of Concord Township, Ohio, with his wife Kathie; and Lisa A. Atallah (Hansen) of Sea Bright, with her husband Stephen.
She has six awesome grandchildren and even three great-grandchildren and a fleet of nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her ex-husband, Robert Hansen, in 2000. She is also survived by her sister, Laura deVenoge of New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
Mary was a devout Catholic with a strong love of God; she enjoyed the support and guidance her faith provided her, assisting her to navigate through many of life’s obstacles. Mary was a loving mother and a supportive wife. She will be missed by many who loved her and by those whose lives she touched.
There will be a funeral Mass at 11 a.m. May 7, 2021, at the Church of Saint Francis DeSales, Belle Harbor, New York, sfdsparish.org. The Mass will be live streamed on the church’s Facebook page at facebook.com/sfdschurch. A memorial Mass will be held at 10 a.m. May 14, 2021, at Holy Cross Church, 30 Ward Ave., Rumson.
In lieu of flowers, family ask that donations be to the Grace Healthcare Services (hospice) at 866-447-0246. They do not accept donations online.
The article originally appeared in the April 29 – May 5, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
