Michael Elliot Hanson, 63, Bismarck passed away February 8, 2022, at his home in Bismarck after a 2 year battle with cancer.  Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, February 12, 2022 at Trinity Lutheran Church, Bismarck with Pastors Mark Narum and Lee Herberg officiating.  Visitation for Mike will be held from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM with a prayer service at 6:30 PM on Friday at the church in Bismarck.  Interment will be held in the spring at St. Mary's Cemetery.  The funeral service for Mike will be livestreamed at the bottom of his obituary on this page.

Michael was born to James and Harriet (Balstad) Hanson on June 19th, 1958, in Grand Forks.  He was later joined by his sister, Myrna.  Michael grew up on the 4th generation Hanson family farm Southwest of Grand Forks.  He graduated from Thompson High School in 1976.  He graduated from NDSU in 1981 with a Bachelor's degree in Agriculture Economics.  He earned a Master's degree in Public Administration from UND in 2001.

Michael married the love of his life, LuAnn, on April 10th, 1999 in Evanger Lutheran Church near the Hanson family farm.  He became stepfather to Kayla and Michael.  They lived in Linton, ND and grew as a family.  In the spring of 2011, Michael & LuAnn moved to Bismarck to be closer to family.  One of Michael's greatest joys was being Papa to his grandchildren: Taylor, Sadie and Leo.

4-H was a very important part of Michael's life growing up.  Michael began his 37 year professional career with NDSU Extension in 1981.  He served as County Extension Agent in Richland, Benson & Emmons counties. During his time as County Agent, he helped hundreds of 4-Hers with projects and livestock judging.  4-H Camp, 4-H Achievement Days & the North Dakota State Fair were some of Mike's favorites.  Michael ended his Extension career as the District Director for the Northwest region of ND in 2017.  Michael served on the National Association of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals (NAE4-HYDP).  He also served as Co-Chairman of 2001 National Conference of NAE4-HYDP.  He was the State President of State 4-H Agents and County Agricultural Agents.

Michael started taking wildlife and landscape photos as a 4-Her.  That love continued throughout his retirement life as he started Mike Hanson Photography.  Mike displayed & sold his beautiful photos through Pride of Dakota events.  He loved to visit with people about his photos & answer questions about photography.  Michael enjoyed taking photographs, traveling to numerous national & state parks, camping with LuAnn & Sammy (the needy dog), hiking, fishing and hunting.

He was currently serving as the Congregational President of Trinity Lutheran Church in Bismarck.  His faith continued to grow through his involvement at Trinity and he was able to use his gifts learned in his years with Extension to serve the church.

Michael was a gentle, quiet man, but he left his mark on so many with his caring nature, wisdom, sense of humor and respect.  In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Trinity Lutheran Church and the ND 4-H Foundation. Per his wishes, prints of his photos will be available for people to purchase with the intent of the funds to be donated to Trinity Lutheran Church and the 4-H Foundation.

Michael was preceded in death by his parents.  He is survived by his wife of 22 years, LuAnn; children, Kayla Seifert and Michael (Amanda) Wald; grandchildren, Taylor & Sadie Seifert and Leo Wald; sister, Myrna Hanson; aunt, Garnet DeVine; sisters & brothers-in-law, Bill (Rychel) Muller, Mary (Jim) Beierlein, Cathy (Laura) Fuller; several nieces & nephews; Sammy, his beloved dog; numerous cousins, friends & his NDSU Extension family.