Mary E. Hansen, 78, Rapid City, passed away on January 17, 2010 at Rapid City Regional Hospice House. She was born Nov. 15, 1931 to Henry and Hilda (Juso) Pahkamaa in Dumont, SD. Mary’s father passed away at a young age and her mother Hilda raised their 10 children on a small homestead near Custer Peak. The children attended school at Engelwood, SD and Mary went on to finish high school in Lead, graduating in 1952. She married Vearl Hansen, the ‘love of her life’ on July 27, 1952. Shortly after they were married, Vearl was inducted into the US Army. While he served his country, Mary worked as a telephone operator. After Vearl was discharged from the Army, he became a barber and Mary was a stay at home mother to raise their 3 sons, David, Dennis and Robert. They later purchased an Auto Body Repair Shop, where Mary worked as the bookkeeper. They were also custodians at the Trinity Lutheran Church for many years. After the custodian services, Mary became a Real Estate agent, in which she was very successful. They later started a home repair service ‘A-1 Paint Company, at which they worked as a team, until Mary became ill with cancer. Mary was a brave and hard fighter when it came to her illness, but she succumbed to in on Jan. 17th. Mary is survived by her soul mate and best friend Vearl Hansen, Rapid City; three sons, David and Sonya Hansen, Rapid City; Dennis and Maureen, Brady, NE; Robert and Rossario, San Diego, CA; her grandchildren, Jessica and Chris Hughes, Cheyenne, WY; Matthew, Huron; Holly, Brady, NE; Andrea Hansen, Eric Hansen, both of San Diego, CA; great grandchildren, Arissa and Kayla Hughes, Cheyenne, WY; three sisters, Hazel and Milt Crane, Aurora, CO; Kathryn and Orville Marschieder, Norfolk, NE; Shirley Mattson, Black Hawk; one brother, James and Alice Pahkamaa, Rapid City and a special lady, Lisa Long, Huron. She was preceded in death by her parents and 5 brothers, John, Robert, George, Ernest and Elmer Pahkamaa. Mary will be missed by many of her nieces and nephews, friends and cousins. She loved the outdoors and enjoyed berry picking, photography, gardening, hiking and just watching nature in general. When she became ill you could often find her sitting in the back yard enjoying nature. Mary will be remembered for her love of cooking, her sense of humor and her loving ways. She is with the Lord now but will be missed greatly on this earth.