Obituary of Maurice Frederick Hansen

Maurice F Hansen passed away peacefully with his family at his side at East Kootenay Regional Hospital on Thursday July 6, 2 days before his 81st Birthday. 

Maurice was born in Bairdsville, New Brunswick to Leitha and Norman Hansen. He grew up on a farm near Perth-Andover, New Brunswick. As a kid he dreamed of being a cowboy, and fell in love with the idea of the West reading everything from Roy Rogers comic books to Zane Grey novels.

After High School, Maurice attended Vocational School in St John to become a radio operator, after which he worked on Ice Breakers and on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic. He went around the world on a research ship landing in many places including Japan and South Africa. He arrived in the East Kootenays in 1966 working at the Old Kimberley airport as a radio operator. Married Shirley in 1968, they bought a ranch on LD Ranch Road in 1971, and started in the cattle and hay producing  business which ran for over 20 years. He managed the Community Auction Yard in Cranbrook for a few years before it closed.

Maurice was involved in local land-use politics, “Cowboy Politics” as he called it. He was chair of the Kootenay Livestock Association, and chair of the BC Grassland Council, Maurice was also a member of the Society for Range Management,  and was agriculture co rep on the CORE process. Maurice was the agriculture rep on the East KootenayTrench Agriculture/Wildlife Committee and was co author of its final report. All these initiatives ultimately led to the creation of the Rocky Mountain Trench Natural Resources Society, or The Trench as it become to be known. Maurice was not only instrumental in starting the Trench Society, but he was also chairman and ran it for many years.

 Maurice loved his horses. He was an enthusiastic team roper which led him to ranch roping. Always interested in cattle, he studied low stress cattle handling. He was equally interested in grasslands and what an important ecosystem they were, and was an advocate for grass feed beef.

Maurice was an avid reader. Reading a wide range of topics Maurice loved to discuss his reading and had an interesting perspective discussing politics and environmental issues. His rich background of many of these topics made for very entertaining exchanges.

Maurice is survived by his wife of 55 Years, Shirley; his son Mark; his daughter Christina; his grandson Sawyer; and his sister Kathleen Small, and family in New Brunswick.

The family wishes to thank the doctors Tetrault and Buddo of the Kimberley Medical Clinic, as  well as nurses and staff of the East Kootenay Regional Hospital including the Oncology department, and Home Support staff in Kimberley.

There will be a celebration of Life on August 26 at the Kimberley Nordic Center starting at 2 PM.