Calla Hanson

Calla Lucile Hanson was born May 14, 1932, to Esperance and Roy Donegon at their home in Hot Springs S.D.
Calla was a feisty Irish woman who embodied the gift of gab well before ever setting eyes on the Blarney Stone. She was known for sassy retorts and could still send a zinging barb to her children and their spouses until just days before her passing.
However, most of Calla’s charm was as a collector of stories. She was endlessly interested in other people. She never knew a stranger, at least, not for very long. She befriended anyone fortunate enough to be around her for any length of time. The family was always worried about how many intimate details of our lives she’d share with her mailman and were secretly impressed by how much she could tell us about him.
Calla also knew every CNA, nurse, cook, and housekeeping staff member she encountered in every facility in which she was a resident. She could tell you their marital status, children’s names and ages, describe their pets, and tell you about where they were from.
Calla grew up chasing her three older brothers through the canyons north of Hot Springs, near the current Southern Hills Golf Course. She quickly learned to hold her own, and before she became adept at throwing out snappy rejoiners, she was a master at throwing rocks, able to hit her brother Vance’s head at any angle.
Calla attended school, in her words, “when the mood struck her” at Hot Springs Public Schools. She had fond memories of sneaking into the fire escape slide when attending elementary school, at what is now known as the Fall River Museum. There she later donated her cheerleading jacket, where it is still displayed. Calla graduated from Hot Springs High School in 1950.
After graduating Calla worked as a secretary for the Fall River County Extension and treasurer’s office. She married her high school sweetheart, Ben Hanson, June 26, 1951.
In 1954 they moved to Custer, S.D., when Ben accepted a position with the Forest Service. After a several-year break to raise three children, she returned to the workforce as a billing clerk at Black Hills Electric Cooperative (BHEC) in 1963. While there, Calla helped the company enter the computer age, navigating the transition from hand billing to computerized accounting on giant machines that used punch cards to input data.
Ever active in the community, she served as an officer in the Shakespeare Club, the Red Hatters and the Pine Hills resident association. Calla was also a member of Custer Community Church where she served on the board and Project Pals extension club, spending summer evenings stuffing napkins into chicken wire to build the Gold Discovery Days Parade float and hours turning her sewing skills to repairing and ironing the Pageant of Paha Sapa costumes.
Calla retired from BHEC in 1989 after 27 years. In 1991 Calla and Ben returned to Hot Springs, settling in the splendor and peace of Hot Brook Canyon. She was a member of United Churches where she was a long-time choir member. She especially relished the Christmas Cantata the choir performed each year.
Calla was a devoted grandmother to her five grandchildren. She is well remembered for baking and decorating sugar cookies with them, sharing stories and reminding them of their cute phrases and embarrassing moments. She traveled often to spend time with them.
Calla finally made it to the Blarney Stone in 2012, when she realized a life-long dream by taking her oldest four grandchildren on a tour of the “home country.”  This multi-generational trip to Ireland was a priceless way to connect with the Donegon roots while having a load of craic.
Despite her Irish temper, Calla’s main message throughout her life and final days was one of love. Her love for her husband, Ben, to whom she was married for 60 years, and love for her family who were there for her in her last weeks to say goodbye.
Calla passed away Dec. 4, 2024. She was 92.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Ben; infant son, Kevin Hanson; and brothers, Roy, Dallas and Vance.
Calla is survived by her children, Kim (Diane) Hanson, Kent (Kris) Hanson and Kara (Rolland) Svoboda; and grandchildren, Kacie Svoboda, Kelsey (Ryan) Johnson, Kade (Catherine), Ben (Allie) and Zachary Hanson.  
The family and Calla wanted to express appreciation to the staff at Pine Hills Retirement Home and Seven Sisters Nursing Home for their kindness and care. We are especially grateful to those who were always ready to share a smile and listen to her stories.
Arrangements have been placed in the care of Chamberlain McColley’s Funeral Home in Hot Springs, S.D.