Brent Martin Hanson died
in his sleep on Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012, after a long complicated battle with
cancer.
Memorial will be held on Oct. 19, between 1 and 5 p.m., at the Springfield Motor
Boat Club, 17 West Club Area, Springfield, IL 62712. Wilson Park Funeral Home in
Rochester, Ill., is in charge of arrangements.
Born Aug. 28, 1942, to Carole and Martin Hanson, he went to United Township High
School and graduated in 1960. He was married to Judith Lee BeDuhn on Feb. 23,
1964.
He was employed by several portrait studios in the Quad-Cities, Lenox Studio in
Chicago, was a night photographer for the Moline Dispatch, owned and operated a
portrait studio in East Moline, all before he started work for Times-Democrat
(Quad-City Times) in June 1966.
He was drafted into U.S. Army in September 1966 and served at Fort Sam Houston
in San Antonio, Texas, where he was a medical instructor until 1968, when he was
honorably discharged. After his discharge he returned to Moline and the Times.
In 1971, he was made assistant director of photography for the the Times. By
1985, he was the director of photography and remained until 1988, when he began
work as photographer for Secretary of State of Illinois Jim Edgar. He continued
working as a State of Illinois Photographer under Governors Edgar, Ryan and
Blagojevich until he retired.
Brent was a photographer, an auto mechanic, a chef, a handyman, a motorcycle
enthusiast, a nap taker, a story teller, a dreamer and his family's hero.
He is survived by his wife, Judith Hanson; daughters, Jennifer and Becky Hanson;
brothers, Bradley (wife, Bettie) and Claude Hanson.