Lamb day grand marshals love to work, love their community

 

Lyle Fletcher

Staff Writer

FOUNTAIN GREEN—Born on Labor Day in 1947, Robert Don Hansen of Fountain Green has been laboring ever since.

He and his wife, Yvonne, have made labor their lives as they have worked to build a family, gain an education and teach others, serve in their church and community and labor in their careers.

The Hansens have been selected as the grand marshals for this year’s Lamb Days in Fountain Green.

Robert Don was born on Monday, Sept. 1, 1947, truly a “labor day” for his mother, Dorothy B. Johansen, and his father, Don Farrell Hansen.

Called “Bobby” by his family and friends as he grew up on the farm west of Fountain Green, Bob experienced the down-to-earth good old things that young boys in rural Utah enjoyed.

He attended Fountain Green Elementary, North Sanpete Junior High in Moroni and North Sanpete High School in Mt. Pleasant where he graduated in 1965.

Almost as a rite of passage, he moved to Ephraim where he roomed with other young men and attended his freshman year at Snow College.

As his 19th year approached, he put in his LDS mission papers and was called to the Southern States Mission headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., serving from Sept. 1966 to 1968.

On his return from his mission, he continued his education at Snow College, this time living at home and driving to Ephraim.

Upon his graduation in 1969, he worked the summer helping various farmers in Fountain Green and transferred to BYU, living in a basement apartment off campus.

During that semester, just before Christmas, he met a transfer student from Arizona, Yvonne Smith, who was in his BYU ward.

He moved back to Fountain Green and continued to commute to school with his brother, Dean.

Bob and Yvonne continued to date, became engaged and were married on Sept. 11, 1970, in the Mesa Arizona Temple.

They lived in Orem and continued their schooling at BYU, traveling to Fountain Green on the weekends to visit family.

Bob and Yvonne graduated from BYU in May 1971. Bob earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics and Yvonne a bachelor’s degree in special education and elementary education.

Bob found employment in Red Rock, Ariz., as a mill manager of a private feedlot, and the couple moved to sunny, hot Arizona in Sept. 1971, expecting their first baby.

Liesl Marie Hansen was born in Tucson, Ariz., in October. The following month, Bob, Yvonne and Liesl moved to Fountain Green for the winter.

Bob found work as marshal of Fountain Green City, worked at Moroni Feed Company Hatchery and finally found his niche at Nephi Rubber Products in Nephi in sales.

James Robert Hansen was born in April 1973. James developed cancer and had treatments then died in May 1976.

Lea Ann Hansen was born in March 1975.

In 1977, Bob secured a job in sales and moved his family to Billings, Mont., and traveled throughout three states.

Sean Nelson Hansen was born in April 1977.

In 1978, Nephi Rubber Products reached out to Bob and asked him to return and become customer service manager. Bob worked in Nephi and built the family a new home in Fountain Green after hours. The home-building took about a year to complete.

Aaron McRae Hansen was born in Feb. 1980. Rebecca Dianne Hansen followed two years later in 1982.

In 1983, Yvonne started teaching special education in Moroni half days for North Sanpete School district.

In 1987, Dorothy Nicole Hansen was born in September, and Yvonne taught special education and third grade half day at Fountain Green Elementary.

Bob and Yvonne are the parents of six living children and the grandparents of 10 grandchildren.

Andrea Joe Thompson, who lived with the family for six years, has given them five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren that live in New Mexico and are able to see them occasionally.

Yvonne retired from school teaching in 2011 and Bob from Nephi Rubber Products in 2013. They served in the Florida Orlando Mission from 2013 to 2015, a total of 23 months.

Bob’s church service includes two full-time missions, seventy, counselor in two bishoprics, high council, bishop, Young Men advisor, Scoutmaster, district Scout committee, Gospel Doctrine teacher, bishops’ storehouse missionary and Primary teacher.

Yvonne’s church service includes Primary president, Primary teacher, stake Primary president, Relief Society presidencies, Young Women president, Relief Society teacher, full-time mission, Gospel Doctrine teacher and bishops’ storehouse missionary.

Bob has served in many community capacities, such as the town marshall, Fountain Green justice of the peace, president of Fountain Green Irrigation Company, Fountain Green Lamb Day Committee and Fountain Green Lions Club.

Yvonne volunteers at Fountain Green Elementary, Fountain Green City Library, Fountain Green Lions Club and Daughters of the Utah Pioneers.

Both of them love serving as ordinance workers in the Manti Temple and look forward to more years of loving labor and service for the LDS Church and their beloved community of Fountain Green.