Kenneth John Hansen, retired deputy director of the state Department of Finance, died Wednesday, Dec. 26. He was 78.
Mr. Hansen, one of the longest-serving state employees in Utah's history, started his 35-year career as a public servant in 1941 with his first government job as a payroll clerk. A state accountant with the Department of Finance from 1949 until his retirement in 1976, Mr. Hansen served four governors - Herbert B. Maw, J. Bracken Lee, George D. Clyde and Calvin L. Rampton.Born in Elsinore, Utah, Mr. Hansen served in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II in San Francisco, continued with the Army Reserves and retired in 1972 as a major.
Mr. Hansen was active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a member of Parleys 1st Ward. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Helen Plowgian Hansen; his children, Carolyn Hansen Ainsworth and Kenneth A. Hansen; and five grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Monday at noon at Parleys 1st Ward, 2350 S. 2100 East. Burial at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park will follow the services. Friends may call Sunday evening from 6 to 8 p.m. at Wasatch Lawn Mortuary, 3401 S. Highland Drive, and from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. Monday at Parleys 1st Ward.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to the Hematology/Oncology Section of the Veterans Administration Medical Center.