Funeral services for Victor George Hanson, 87, will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Hope Lutheran Church in Santa Clara, Calif. Interment will be at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, Calif. Visitation is at Lima Family of Santa Clara Mortuary from 5 to 9 p.m. with a Masonic service at 7 p.m.

George died Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007, at his home after a summerlong illness.

Born in Albert Lea on Feb. 22, 1920, the son of Palma and Victor Hanson, George spent his childhood on his grandfather, Matt Nelson&8217;s, farm outside of Hartland. This farming childhood instilled a lifelong love of gardening; his Santa Clara backyard was a veritable farm each season, this year it produced a bumper crop of tomatoes. George attended Albert Lea High School and served as president of the Class of 1937, a position he was honored to resume each year at their annual class reunion. While at ALHS, he met Shirley Dezell who would later become his bride. After working for Buzz Knutson at what is now Plymouth Shoe, he proudly joined the Army during World War II.

A member of &8220;The Greatest Generation,&8221; George was in the Signal Corps stationed in Hawaii and ultimately retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel. It was in that Hawaiian paradise that George and Shirley were married in 1944. Four years later, in Albert Lea, they became the proud parents of their only child, Brenda Claire. During these years, George worked for the telephone company as a lineman, traveling across the Midwest repairing lines during winter storms.

In 1956, George moved his family to Santa Clara, Calif., where he lived the rest of his life. He continued to work in management for the telephone company watching the telecommunications system change radically. During retirement he traveled throughout Asia and Europe, enjoyed gardening experiments, studying genealogy and researching family history, carpentry projects in the garage, and participating in the lives of his grandchildren who were the light of his eye. Always active in the community, George was a past president of the Santa Clara Host Lions Club; a charter member of the Santa Clara Elks Lodge 2347; a Master Mason in Liberty Lodge 299; F&AM Santa Clara, Calif.; Western Star Lodge 26 F& AM Albert Lea; a member of American Legion Post 564; and life member of the Telephone Pioneers. Above all, he was devoted to his family. He will be missed dearly by the many who loved him.

George is survived by his daughter Brenda (T.J.) Hanson-Smith; granddaughter, Kari Hanson-Smith, all of El Dorado Hills, Calif.; grandson Victor Hanson-Smith of Eugene, Ore.; sisters Ellen (Gary) Alkire of San Antonio, Texas, Mary Beth (Larry) Nelson of Glenville, and Barbara (Dick) Kath of Manchester; brothers Edwin (Betty) Hanson of Albert Lea, and Larry Hanson of Austin; and many nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

He was preceded in death by his father, Victor Hanson; mother Palma (Clarence) Hanson; wife, Shirley (Dezell) Hanson; brother, Mike Hanson; and sister, Kay Hanson.

Memorials are preferred to flowers and donations may be made to California Masonic Foundation, Scholarship Programs, 1111 California Street, San Francisco, CA, 94108 or Elks National Foundation, Scholarship Office, 2750 Lakeview Ave, Chicago, IL, 60614.