Col. Ray S. Hansen

THE MAN WHO TURNED ON NIAGARA FALLS

Ray S. Hansen, 82 of Kirkland, WA, the Army Corps of Engineers officer in charge of leading the 1969 geologic investigations for possible repairs of the temporarily halted majestic Niagara Falls then turning them back on, passed away Thursday night, December 17, 2009 following a skiing accident in the Cascades. The 82-year-old West Point and MIT graduate headed up other landmark Army engineering projects including work in Northern Greenland near Thule, building Cam Ranh Bay and Highway 1 in South Vietnam, expansions of the Panama Canal, plus the restoration of Lake Erie. After retiring from Army service, Hansen worked with the Ports and Harbors division of CH2MHill of Seattle. After his second retirement, Hansen continued his volunteerism with the Kirkland City Council and as a computer instructor and curriculum coordinator with the all-volunteer SeniorNet Computer Learning Center of the Puget Sound. He also served as President and Member of the Friends of the Library, a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood, a member of the League of Women Voters, an occasional columnist for the Kirkland Courier and the senior publication Prime Time and President of the Kirkland North Rose Hill Neighborhood Association. Hansen was also an active campaign worker in US Senator, State and Local legislator elections. One of his more adventurous volunteer jobs was for the United Nations determining the site and specifics for a remote island harbor in the Maldives in the Indian Ocean. Avid travelers, Ray and his wife, Mary, enjoyed traveling extensively in Europe and exploring megalithic sites. He is survived by his wife Mary, a registered nurse he met while at West Point; his children: Mary Reeves, Tom Hansen, Kay Littler, and Doug Hansen in Texas; Nancy Bray in Pennsylvania; Bill Hansen in Ohio; Keith Hansen in Maine; Steve Hansen and Paul Hansen in Washington; 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Memorial services will be held Saturday, Janurary 9, at 2:00 p.m., at the Peter Kirk Community Center at 352 Kirkland Avenue. Contributions in lieu of flowers can be made to Planned Parenthood and/ or UNICEF.