Mary Lucinda Munk Hansen was born in Amalga, Utah on July 15, 1931 and passed away peacefully on February 21, 2019 in Rexburg, Idaho. She was 87 years old. Lucinda was the daughter of Harvey Leo and Eva Valate Kirkbride Munk.
She was the youngest of their four children—Dale, LoRee, Aileen and Lucinda. She attended Smithfield Summit Elementary, Smithfield Junior High and North Cache High School. Lucinda always loved the out-of-doors, and as a child spent her young days living in Amalga riding horses around the “factory line”, climbing trees, roller skating, swimming in the canal, playing paper dolls, ice skating on the sloughs, hoeing beets and tromping hay.
She had a favorite tree that had her “plane” in it. During World War II, she nailed old wooden chair legs on the limbs of the tree and pretended that they were machine guns. She said, “I’m sure I helped us win the war!
! ” And, much to her delight, when she was in her late 70s, she had the opportunity to go for a wonderful ride in a bright yellow, open cockpit World War II biplane! In Amalga, she loved to help her dad by going down to retrieve the cows in the river bottoms.
At dusk, the neighborhood kids would get together to play “kick-the-can”. Winters were also enjoyable, as they would tie the sleigh onto the horse and get pulled all over the back roads. Lucinda was talented in tumbling and dance, and especially loved tap dancing.
She was also an accomplished singer and was selected to sing various solos in her youth. She passed down her fondness for singing to her children, as she spent hours teaching them to sing together and create harmonies. Just a week ago, she sang through three verses of “Que Sera Sera”.
At age 12, due to her father’s poor health, the family farm was sold, and she moved to Smithfield with her parents. Her mother worked at JC Penny in Logan, and Lucinda worked there in the summers in the stock room. Lucinda recalls, “I lived in the old Second Ward in Smithfield and was quite busy with church activities.
I went out with a few boys in the ward, but one in particular caught my eye”. So, in 1948, Lucinda married Willard Alton Hansen, Jr. in Salt Lake City, and they were later sealed in the Ogden Temple. They were married for 42 years.
Together they raised five children, Patricia Cathy, Debra Lou, Mary Jo, Nancy Kaye and Dwight Alton. They began their marriage living in Smithfield, Utah. While there, and in addition to dad’s full time school and work, mother and dad always ran a farm, of which mother was an integral part of its success.
Working together, she spent many hours milking cows, driving tractor and truck, hauling hay and feeding cattle. And, mother always ran double-duty . .
. when she wasn’t bailing hay, cultivating the corn on the old 8N Ford or irrigating, she was preparing wonderful meals for the guys who helped haul the hay . .
. she always had a juicy roast, baked potatoes, fresh corn on the cob, as well as fresh garden tomatoes and a cake for dessert! Our mother enjoyed people, loved to travel and always took full advantage of learning all that she could as she and Bill moved from place to place through their marriage.
They lived in Smithfield, Utah; Star, Idaho; Ogden, Utah; Salt Lake City, Utah; Arlington, Virginia and Sunnyvale, California. She has enjoyed many trips with her family members to Alaska and Hawaii, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, Canada, as well as many other fun trips across the United States—especially enjoying the yearly camping trips to Grand Teton National Park where so many family members enjoyed time together in the beautiful outdoors! Lucinda enjoyed her various capacities in church service—as Ward and Stake Sports director, Primary teacher, Ward chorister, Relief Society secretary and Ward Activities director.
She cherished the time she spent serving two full-time missions—first in the England London South Mission, and then in the Florida Orlando Temple Mission. She also served in the Oakland California Temple as a volunteer. At age 79, Lucinda boarded a small plane that ascended to 12,000 feet.
The plane door then slid open and with a big smile on her face, she leapt out in a tandem skydive! She didn’t give it a moment’s hesitation. When her feet hit the dirt back on the ground, the first thing she said was, “I want overs!
” This level of desire for adventure exemplified her personality. Her motto was . .
. “If the car door is open, I’m getting in! ” Lucinda lived a full and happy life and will be dearly missed by her family.
We are so thankful for her life. Her happy, adventurous, out-going personality and sheer love-of-life is a treasured legacy for her posterity. Lucinda is survived by her five children and their spouses, Patricia Cathy and Bob Whiteley, Cascade, Idaho, Debby and John Erickson, Wellsville, Utah, Mary Jo and Doug Gray, Tetonia, Idaho, Nancy and Les Lane, Rexburg, Idaho and Alton and Lisa Hansen, Rexburg, Idaho.
She is also survived by her sister LoRee Downs of Smithfield, Utah, 21 grandchildren, 39 great, grandchildren, two great, great grandchildren and many beloved nieces and nephews and their families. She was preceded in death by her parents, Harvey and Eva Munk, her husband Willard A. Hansen, her brother and his wife, Dale and Evelyn Munk, her brother-in-law, Glen Downs and her sister and her husband, Aileen and Orlando Preece. A viewing will take place at the Nelson Funeral Home at 85 South Main in Smithfield, Utah on Thursday evening, February 28, 2019 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and again on Friday morning, March 1, 2019 at the Smithfield First Ward Building, 175 South 100 West in Smithfield, Utah from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. A funeral will then immediately follow under the direction of Kreg Love in the Smithfield First Ward Building from 11:00 a.m. – noon.
Interment will be in the Smithfield City Cemetery. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Mary Lucinda Munk Hansen please visit our Sympathy Store.
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