Dr. Hansen, who went mostly by the name Alex, or Sandy to her close relatives, was born Alexandra Louise Felty on April 21, 1933 in Hartford, Connecticut, the second of three daughters born to Dr. Augustus Roi Felty and Alice Bryce Felty. Dr. Hansen attended the Oxford School (Later Kingswood Oxford) in Hartford before entering Oberlin University in Oberlin Ohio where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree. She then went on to the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill where she was awarded a Master of Arts degree while earning a Fulbright Scholarship for Spanish language studies. These studies took her to Spain, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Argentina to continue her education. She married Danish mining engineer Paul Hansen in Cochabamba Bolivia before she settled in Houston Texas in 1959. Dr. Hansen later continued her studies at the University of Houston where she earned her Doctorate degree in Education. After her marriage ended, she managed to raise three sons almost entirely on her own while working for the Houston Independent School District as an Educational Diagnostician where she specialized in the evaluation and assessment of learning disabilities in predominantly Spanish-speaking students. Alex valued experiences much more than materialistic possessions during her life. She preferred to use her resources to travel extensively, always interested in the history, art, and culture of people around the world. When not traveling outside of North America, she loved to spend her summers at a family cottage in Colborne, on Lake Ontario. For most of her life in Houston, she attended Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church and often led missionary trips to build/repair churches in underserved communities in Central America. Alex believed strongly in giving back to her community and volunteered her time generously. Amongst her interests were the Memorial Area Ministries where she worked for years in their thrift shop and used her language skills to provide low-income Houstonians with tax and social benefits advice. She was well-recognized as a docent at the Rienzi Museum of Fine Arts Houston. She also volunteered at the Mercer Gardens the Houston Arboretum, and the Alley Theater. Alex was preceded in death by her parents and her sister Isabel “Kay” Felty Gililland. She is survived by her sister Dr. Jean Felty Kenny of Greenville North Carolina, her son Stephen Hansen, her son John Hansen and his wife Jerianne, her son Peter Hansen and his wife Bridget, grandchildren Kristen Jackson, and husband Travis Jackson, Katherine Hansen and fiancee Sebastian Olivera, all in the Houston area, and Alexander Hansen of Seattle, plus her niece Paige Simmons and her family and nephew Matthew Gililland and his family. The children and grandchildren of Dr. Hansen would like to express their gratitude to the nurses and staff at the Eagles Trace Skilled Nursing Center for their compassionate care Alex received during her final year of life. A memorial service celebrating the life of Alexandra Hansen will be announced at a later date.
In Memoriam