Obituary of Mary Hanson, 91
Mary Hanson.
– Mary Hanson, age 91, of Indian Camp Ranch in Cortez, Colorado, passed away quietly in her home with loved ones by her side on Nov. 22, 2022.
Mary was born on April 24, 1931, in Charleston, South Carolina. Her father, Giacomo Riportella, and her mother, Gaetana “Nellie” Gallo Riportella emigrated from Sicily. The family moved to Hollywood, California when Mary was 8 years old. As a kid, she always sang. She sang at church in the choir and solo. She took singing lessons when she was 10, and completed her first screen test at Warner Brothers Studio when she was 19, but never really wanted to be a Hollywood Star. Instead, she wanted to be in the quiet country.
She attended UCLA for two years but then decided she wanted to be an airline stewardess. She completed the courses only to find out that stewardesses were not allowed to wear eyeglasses. Instead, she took a job selling airline tickets in Paso Robles, to the military men at Camp Roberts. She was picked up every week at the Burbank Airport and flew in a DC8 cockpit to Paso Robles with pilot Blackie Blackwell and his copilot.
In Paso Robles, she met Duane Mitchell, fell in love, got married, moved to the country, learned how to milk a cow and churn butter, and started a family. Mary and Duane had three children, Diane, Dawn, and Darren. Duane’s mother volunteered Mary to sing at the Paso Robles Women’s Club. This event began a great friendship with pianist, Lucy Noble. Lucy introduced Mary to the St. Rose Catholic church where she sang solos at Mass. Music re-emerged as her joy when her marriage with Duane began to falter. She began vocal lessons with Dorothy Renton who introduced her to Frank Sanchez and Francis Baker. Together these three began the Paso Robles Pioneer Players theatre group. The Pioneer Players provided classical musicals and entertainment to the agrarian area. Strangers would see Mary at the grocery store or post office and thank her for her beautiful voice and exciting entertainment.
She met Archie Hanson in the mid-1960s. They were married and combined his family of four children, Lex, Tori, Lisa, and Leila with her three. During their 50-year marriage, they created estates in California including Hidden Valley Ranch, Creston Hills Ranch, and Running Deer Ranch.
They received a brochure from a friend who recommended they visit Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. Mary remarked that this visit would either be incredibly boring or completely intriguing. It turned out to be intriguing and they acquired property to create Indian Camp Ranch. In 1998 Archie completed their home with its unique Hanson Flair and he called it Mary’s Castle. This is where they lived their last years with the grand vista of Mesa Verde, The Sleeping Ute Mountain, and Ship Rock in the background.
She was preceded in death by her husband Archie Hanson. She is survived by seven children, seven grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers please donate to your local animal shelter.
The Paso Robles Daily News accepts and publishes local obituaries and death notices free of charge from individuals and local funeral homes. See information and tips here on writing an obituary. Please submit the obituary a few days before services, if possible. To submit an obituary, please email it to skye@accesspublishing.com with “obituary” in the subject line. Please email a photo along with the obituary.
Comments
