Zelma Maurine Sutton Hansen died peacefully in her sleep at home in West Richland, Wash. on June 10 at the age of 100.
She was born on May 20, 1925 in Moses, N.M. the first of 10 children of Lester Carlyle Sutton and Stella May Perkins. A natural beauty all her life, she was healthy, slender and strong. Maurine loved vegetable gardening, raised flowers that graced many church pulpits and weddings, and devoted thousands of hours to research her and Harry’s families’ history. Quiet, studious and empathetic, Maurine had been raised during the Great Depression, learning from her mother that “You can never outgive the Lord.” She was a great friend to her neighbors, who together formed a safety net you could count on when things got rough. She loved to sing and always reminded us that “Tough times don’t last; tough people do.”
She survived smallpox, polio and cancer. As a tiny infant, Maurine nearly died of smallpox. Just before first grade at Rainier, she suffered a bout of polio that damaged her lower back and deformed her left knee, leaving her unable to walk for nearly a year. She survived cancer diagnosed in 1985.
Maurine was a top student in rural Stanfield and Hermiston schools and rode a bicycle from 2 to 8 miles twice a day to school, depending on whether she caught the bus. She worked in the school office, held a number of part-time jobs in the community, and was promised a full-ride scholarship to Stanford University in California by her high school principal if she would continue her education after graduating. However, a handsome young soldier intervened.
During a USO dance in Pendleton during World War II, Maurine met and couldn’t forget a handsome, tall blond Danish sergeant with sparkling eyes and a dimple from the big city of Council Bluffs, Iowa. He asked her to marry him the first time they danced, though she turned him down saying she intended to complete her college education before marrying. Harry Junior Hansen and hisbuddy in the U.S. Army Air Corps had been trained to install a Link Trainer, where prospective pilots learned to navigate at night by the constellations before radar was invented. He and Maurine corresponded for four years, and shortly before his transfer to Louisiana called her to say if she married him and worked to put him through college, he would get a good job and pay for her college education. She had met many handsome men in the service, and Harry couldn’t dance worth beans. He was a broken spirit, having lost his mother at 3 years old and been raised by stepmothers, grandparents and close neighbors. She thought she could heal him and finally gave in and said yes. They were married in the Episcopal church on Feb. 19, 1944 in Pendleton during an unexpected blizzard.
Harry and Maurine were stationed in Louisiana for seven months, then in York County, Pa. for six months prior to his honorable discharge. He bought a Terraplane automobile, reinstalled the engine, picked up Maurine and their few possessions, and headed from Pennsylvania to Pendleton in the dead of winter. The car had no heater, they had no tire chains, the tires were bald, and they started out with $40 cash. They swallowed their pride and borrowed cash from relatives in Iowa to complete the trip. Harry had spent his discharge bonus on civilian clothes and the car. On one long stretch of road they drove for many miles in deep snow with no tire ruts, then were informed the road had been closed for several days.
Harry and Maurine sacrificed their dreams of college to support their growing family. Carol Grace was born in 1949, Wendell Harry in 1951 and Jeffrey Lyle in 1967. Harry worked for Boeing as a meticulous electrician, though he was color blind. In 1948, Maurine worked in an executive office at Boeing and sometimes modelled for photos published in the company newsletter. She held numerous other jobs through the years in support of the family.
The Hansens joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at Ephrata, Wash. in 1958 and researched their family history together for more than 50years. After retiring, they travelled to Iowa, Illinois and New Mexico to visit living relatives and obtain records.
Harry and Maurine lived in Washington, Oregon, and California during their married lives and retired back on the land where Maurine’s grandparents, Jeff and Mamie, died. Harry died on April 5, 2006 in Walla Walla, Wash. of heart failure at age 85. Maurine died on June 10, 2025 at age 100 in Richland, Wash., also of heart failure.
She is survived by her children, Carol Devine of West Richland, Wash., Wendell Hansen of Stanfield and Jeffrey Hansen of Hermiston; and siblings, Gary Sutton of Nebraska, Beverly Schatz of Olympia, Wash., Wanda Davies of La Grande, and Aaron Sutton of Stanfield.
A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 21 at the LDS Church Paradise Building, 4500 Maple Lane, West Richland. The funeral will be broadcast via Zoom. Alternatively, log onto Zoom and enter the following: Meeting ID 684 255 3381, Passcode 463424. Please take care not to turn on your microphone, as this may broadcast any speaking or other noise made to inadvertently be heard by all who are watching via Zoom.
Harry and Maurine will be buried side by side at Pleasant View Cemetery north of Stanfield at 1 p.m. on June 21, 2025. May they rest in peace.
Maurine’s children express appreciation to Kadlec Hospital, Tri-Cities Chaplaincy (Hospice) and Willowbrook Heights Adult Family Home of Richland for Maurine’s care the final six months of her life.
Please share memories of Maurine at burnsmortuaryhermiston.com.
Burns Mortuary of Hermiston is in care of arrangements.
