Eugene Hanson

Eugene Ray Hanson, 81, of Wolf Point died June 2, 2026.

He was born in Malta on July 10, 1944, to Lillian and Henry Hanson. He was one of their 12 children. He graduated from Malta High School and, soon after married his sweetheart, Linda Jane McPhee. During his time in Malta, he also served in the Montana National Guard.

Even before his teen years, he began working for the Henderson Dairy and later at the Coast-to-Coast store, both in Malta. Next, he began working for the Montana Department of Transportation. A few years later, he and Linda moved from Malta to Wolf Point, where he worked on the construction of highways in Montana from 1966 to 1993. After retiring from MDT, he worked for Prince Inc., until 2012.

He was an expert hunter and skilled fisherman, but his pride and joy was his garden. People would detour just to drive through his back alley to marvel at how healthy every plant looked. To the astonishment of his neighbors, he always watered his large garden by hand.

But to all of his family and good friends, his neatest skill was a result of his sense of humor. “He was so funny,” remarked one recently. With his quick wit, he often answered with subtle quips that would take recipient a few minutes to catch on before bursting out with laughter. He and his daughter, Jennifer, competed in challenging the other to come up with a response better than the one just given.

He is survived by his wife, Linda; daughter, Jennifer Rae Sears; two grandchildren; and sisters, Rosie and Greta.

Preceding him in death were his siblings, Betty Lou, Jerry, Barbara, Joanne, Phyllis, Patsy, David, Connie and Billy.