Matilda Hansen would tell us to keep her memorial minute brief and simply refer any questions to her four-volume memoir which she wrote in the last decade of her life. She had a rich family history, two marriages, children and grandchildren, an education that took her to Sri Lanka, and a lengthy public career as one of few women in politics in Wyoming at that time. Her books read as an American and Quaker timeline.
She was born to Arthur J. Henderson and Sara G. Thompson near Paullina, Iowa and was raised in the Paullina Meeting in Paullina, Iowa. The experiences of her Norwegian, Quaker, immigrant family that established that Quaker community in Iowa, a Quaker education at Scattergood School and peaceful protest and conscientious objection to the American wars of the 20th century prepared Matilda to organize Laramie Friends in the 1960s and to be one of the founders of Wyoming Friends meeting in the late 1980s. The photos of Matilda and other Quakers that found themselves together in Wyoming, Hugh Hansen (Matilda’s husband), Bob Murphy, Chelsea and Don Kesselheim, Bill Young, Jean Jorgensen and others gathered from across Wyoming for a particular summer retreat in Camp Story, speak to the informal roots, respect for land and place, and deep caring for each other that provided the foundation for a new community of Friends in Wyoming.
Living to 89, Matilda was an elder voice in our meeting. She had been a leader at Scattergood School, served as clerk for the Wyoming Friends Meeting, and held numerous leadership positions in national and western Friends organizations. Matilda was simply a leader and initiator. She was well known in Wyoming for her decisive leadership, and willingness to speak truth to power in her service to the State for 20 consecutive years as a state representative in the Wyoming House of Representatives and she finished her political career in the Wyoming Senate as Assistant Minority Floor Leader (Democrat) in 1994. She was described as a “force of nature” and noted for impeccable research. Matilda’s Quaker sensibilities informed her civic leadership and earned her respect that transcended her gender or party affiliation. She was a role model as an ethical leader and as a woman in politics. She established a path for others to follow. Matilda did not compartmentalize. Activism and change, spiritual journey and personal life intersected for Matilda and her leadings which she shared at meetings were often connected to current world and regional events. Her voice was resonant.
Matilda died August 19, 2019. In the last months of her life, she ironically slowly lost the ability to speak and turned to writing and had others share her written thoughts. As she lost her ability to write, she was present in silence. Just months before her death, Matilda hosted a quarterly gathering as had been her custom throughout many years. Her grace in her last year of life was inspiring. For over a year after Matilda’s death, her habitual place at meeting was left open. This unspoken acknowledgment of Matilda’s absence confirmed her continued presence. Matilda Hansen continues to be a cornerstone of the Laramie Friends Meeting and Wyoming Friends Meeting that she helped establish. We celebrate her life and light as we build on her seasoned Quaker practice and negotiate the challenges of a state-wide meeting.