Keith Hanson, 74

Keith Marshall Hanson departed this life on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, at age 74 — long before his family and friends were willing to let him go. Keith was born July 5, 1950, in Carson City, Nevada, the youngest of three children, to E. Arnold and Virginia Anderson Hanson. That fall the family moved to Washington, D.C., for five years before relocating to Missoula, Montana, where Keith attended Paxson Elementary, Sentinel High School, and the University of Montana, earning his bachelor's followed by a master's degree from Lesley college and making life-long friends along the way. 

In 1972, while attending college, Keith met Connie Dopp of Kalispel, the love of his life. Just six weeks into their relationship, they became engaged, and within six months, they were married. They recently celebrated an incredible 51 years of marriage, with Keith's dedication to his family and marriage serving as a guiding example for his three children, influencing their values and relationships — a source of great pride for Keith. Throughout his life, Keith remained devoted to his faith. He and Connie were members of the Christian Missionary Alliance until 1995, when the family was baptized into the Orthodox Christian Church. They are currently members of St. Anthony's in Bozeman. 

A gentle giant, Keith was a passionate teacher, beloved by students and faculty alike. In Lewiston, Idaho, for ten years (1975-85) and then at Sentinel High School in Missoula, Montana, (1985-2013) he taught government, Montana history, civics, and economics. The subject matter, he felt, was crucial knowledge for engaged citizens, the bedrock of our democracy. Having gone to Boys' State as a high school student, he knew first-hand the value of that civic learning so served for a time as a Boys' State advisor. He was honored repeatedly for his role as Key Club advisor, mentoring students as they developed leadership skills and provided school or community service. He and a colleague, Marty York, took juniors and seniors on biennial American Heritage trips for many years to Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston — a major undertaking, but one that created indelible memories for Spartans. "Every time I met a Spartan, they'd say, ‘Yeah! I know Keith Hanson — he's great!’” 

Learning at age 34 that he was dyslexic — giving a name to his own difficulties reading —  gave Keith insights into his students' learning struggles and enabled him consciously to provide multiple ways for his students to learn. His empathetic approach may have drawn on his time as a recreational therapist at Warm Springs Psychiatric Hospital (1974-75), but it certainly carried into his extracurricular coaching for softball and football, and it was distinctly evident in his commitment to Camp Mak-A-Dream. Keith took a year sabbatical to prepare the Camp Mak-a-Dream facility for the 1996 opening and was involved in the camps in various roles for years afterwards. 

In 2005 Keith and Connie moved from Missoula to the Bitterroot Valley to raise Gypsy horses. After 38 years of teaching, Keith retired in 2013. He promptly expanded both his garden and his workshop, constants in his life as they had been in his Grandpa Anderson's. In 2023, having found good homes for the last of their Gypsies, Keith fully retired and he and Connie moved to Belgrade, Montana, to be closer to daughter Erika and her family in Bozeman.
 

Keith was genuinely interested in people, in what they thought and did — especially his kids and grandkids. From his daughter-in-law: his enthusiasm felt sincere and warm, and I've never doubted that he was proud of me, Tyler, or the boys. His interest was genuine. There's something so warm and wonderful about someone who makes it feel safe to brag."

Keith is survived by his wife Connie, children Erika (Michael) Grinder, Tyler (Haley) Hanson, and Derek (Rebecca Riker) Hanson; siblings Linda Hanson and Greg (HJ) Hanson; grandchildren Zoe, Joseph, and Nicholas Grinder; Oliver and Arne Hanson; and Benjamin and Noah Hanson. He was preceded in death by his parents E. Arnold and Virginia Hanson, grandparents A.I. and Lillian Anderson and Hermann and Eudora Hanson, and a grandson Ambrose Grinder.
Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service.