Herta V. Hansen

Herta Veronika Hansen, 96, of Wyoming, Iowa, passed peacefully on November 12, 2025, at the Clarence Nursing and Assisted Living Center.

Herta was born on September 21, 1929, in Jekabpils, Latvia, the daughter of Stanislavs and Vilhelmina Ritz Kikuts. She attended an all-girls secondary school in Latvia.  She was 15 in 1944 when the Russian Red Army invaded their hometown, forcing the family to escape to Nazi Germany.  She spent her teens in Displaced Persons camps, and while at Erlangen, she was a member of a Latvian Folk Dance troupe, the Girl Scouts, the YMCA, and later attended two years of nursing school. Liberated by the US Army, the family immigrated to the United States on board the USS General C.C. Ballou and arrived at Ellis Island in 1949. 

The Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Lost Nation sponsored the family, and after only being in Lost Nation for three days, Herta became a nanny and later an in-home nurse for her future in-laws. 

On July 16, 1950, she was united in marriage to George Martin Hansen in Lost Nation, Iowa. Together, they farmed near Center Junction and later moved to Wyoming. 

Herta was a faithful member of Zion American Lutheran Church in Wyoming and was active in The Order of the Eastern Star and several card clubs. She was a member of the Little Bear Country Club, where she was honored among the top twelve lifetime members. Her best golf score was 39 for 8 holes, and at age 83, she shot a 42. She also enjoyed fishing, tending to her flower beds, mushroom hunting, birdwatching, and was a talented seamstress.

She is survived by her Siamese cat Mia, four children: Shirley (Denny) Coon of Oxford Junction, Kenneth (Mary) Hansen of Wyoming, Barbara (Doug) Schroeder of Decorah, and Kevin Hansen of Maquoketa, six grandchildren, David (Carrie) Coon, Kraig (Dana) Hansen, Abby (Paul) Peterson, Sarah Hansen, Elizabeth Hansen and Devvin Schroeder; nine great-grandchildren Brianna, Faith, Kale, Page, Ryann, Alexx, Erynn, Michael and Meredith; a brother Romans Kikuts and many nieces and nephews.    

She was preceded in death by her parents, a sister, Valija, a brother, Vilas, and her husband, George Martin Hansen.

Herta's memorial service will be held at 10:00 am on Monday, November 17, 2025 at Zion American Lutheran Church in Wyoming. Burial will follow at the Wyoming Cemetery. 

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