Tamara Hansen

In Loving Memory of Tamara Joy “Tami” Hansen

September 28, 1961 – August 5, 2026

Tamara Joy “Tami” Hansen was born September 28, 1961, in Superior, Nebraska, to Arthur and Caryol (Clausen) Hansen. She passed away peacefully on August 5, 2026, at the home of her sister Caryn in Superior, Colorado, at the age of 64.

True to her middle name, Joy, Tami brought an unmistakable joy to the lives of those who loved her. She was a devoted sister, beloved aunt and great-aunt, loyal friend, animal lover, crafter, Christmas enthusiast and someone who found tremendous happiness in simply being part of her family’s everyday lives.

Tami grew up in Superior as part of a large family and graduated from Superior High School. As her siblings began families of their own, being an aunt became one of the greatest roles of her life. She adored her nieces and nephews and was never content to simply watch from the sidelines. She wanted to be right there with them, creating memories.

So many of Tami’s favorite memories were made around a table with the people she loved. She enjoyed painting ceramics, baking, working on puzzles, playing board games and cross-stitching, and she loved sharing those traditions with her nieces and nephews as they grew up. Many of those same pastimes were ones she shared with her mother and best friend, Caryol. The two were truly two peas in a pod, spending countless hours crafting, baking, puzzling and simply enjoying one another’s company. In many ways, Tami carried those traditions forward with the next generation, creating the same kind of simple, meaningful moments with her nieces and nephews that she had treasured with her mom.

And then there was Christmas. Tami loved everything about it. The decorations, the traditions, the baking, the excitement and, most importantly, having her family together. Her love of creating and her love of Christmas were a perfect combination, and she had a special way of making the holidays feel a little more magical for the people around her.

Tami also had an enormous soft spot for animals. Over the years, she loved her kitties dearly and treated the fur babies in her life as exactly what they were: family. During her years in Colorado, she found another four-legged partner in crime in Jax, who quickly became one of her favorite companions. Whether keeping each other company at home or simply being side by side, Tami adored Jax, and the bond between the two of them became a special part of her everyday life.

Four years ago, Tami moved to Colorado to help care for her sister Caryn following open-heart surgery. What began as Tami coming to take care of her sister turned into something neither could have fully anticipated: four incredibly special years as sisters, roommates, and best friends. Tami became woven into the everyday rhythm of Caryn’s home and the lives of her Colorado family.

Those four years were a gift. They meant more ordinary days together, more holidays, more family gatherings, more projects, more time with nieces and nephews, and eventually more moments with the next generation of great-nieces and great-nephews. They gave her family something invaluable: more time with Tami.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Arthur and Caryol Hansen; infant sister Deborah; infant brother Jonas; and her brother Richard Hansen, who passed away earlier this year.

Tami is survived by her siblings Caryn Geiger of Superior, Colorado; Denise (Sam) Long of Stanwood, Washington; Blaine (Cathy) Hansen of Atlantic, Iowa; Sherryl (James) Zoltenko of Courtland, Kansas; Jim Hansen of Superior, Nebraska; Christina (Stan) Eggen of Montgomery, Texas; and Jeff (Jennifer) Hansen of Burgaw, North Carolina; as well as the many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, cousins, relatives and friends she loved so dearly.

Tami had so much love to give, and 64 years simply does not feel like enough. But the measure of her life can be found in the people she loved, the traditions she carried forward, the Christmases she made brighter, the animals she adored and the countless ordinary moments that now mean everything.

She was Aunt Tami. She was a sister, a friend, a roommate, a caretaker, a creator, an animal lover and a source of so much joy.

She was deeply loved, and she will be deeply missed.