Carol Jean Hansen

Carol Jean Hansen, age 70, of San Jose, CA and Minneapolis, MN, passed away peacefully July 20th, 2026. She was preceded in death by her parents, Don and Carma Hansen, and is survived by her 3 younger sisters, Barb Jensen (Duke), Gail Hansen, and Linda Hansen (Masters), and biological brother John Stenerson and family, nephews Joseph and David Jensen and Kristian and Soren Masters, an aunt, and many cousins and friends. Born in Minneapolis and raised in Edina, MN, Carol lived her life small in stature but with a big presence, and an even bigger smile. In her childhood she learned to enjoy sailing, music (piano, singing, and E♭ clarinet), and being the big sister always in charge! She participated in many high school activities, including Concert Band, Latin Club, and Cougarettes (danceline), and she was honored to be elected Homecoming Queen of her 1974 Edina West High School class. After graduating with a double major in Music Education (BA) and Psychology (BS) from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, Carol eventually found her way to Northern California, where she settled in the Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose, in the heart of Silicon Valley. There she honed her skills as a technical recruiter, a position in which she enjoyed a long and successful career, working in tech companies such as Netflix, Google, and Amazon, and over 15 years at Apple. Her colleagues have described her as the best recruiter they've ever met. In addition to work, Carol enjoyed travel, animals (as a mom to several rescued Shih-Tzu's, and an avid equestrian), cooking extravagant meals for family and friends, and enjoying fun activities with her nephews in SoCal and MN. She was very grateful to connect later in life with her biological brother and his family, and spent many special times with them over the last several years. Sadly, in 2025 it became apparent that Carol was suffering from dementia. She received loving support from friends and neighbors locally, then gratefully agreed to leave her beloved California home and move back to Minnesota to be near family. She moved into TowerLight Senior Living's Memory Care unit in St. Louis Park at the end of 2025, where she quickly made friends with everyone she met and received wonderful care during a shockingly rapid further decline over the next 7 months. During those months, the visits, videos, and photo greetings from family and friends frequently brought out her shining smile. She passed peacefully in her sleep early morning, Monday, July 20th. A Celebration of Life service is planned for Saturday, Sept 26th, at 11am with a visitation beginning one hour prior at 10am at St. Peder's Lutheran Church, 4600 E. 42nd Street, Minneapolis, MN. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Alzheimers Association or the Animal Humane Society.

Carol Jean Hansen

February 23, 1956 - July 20, 2026

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