Lennie "Len" Jay Hansen, 60 years young, lost his long, hard battle against cancer on Thursday November 10 ^th , 2016. He passed away peacefully with his three daughters and his dog Rowdy by his side. Benton Funeral Home has been entrusted with services and arrangements. Visit Lennie's online memorial page at www.bentonfh.com to leave a message of condolence for the family.

Lennie was born June 4 ^th , 1956 to Darryl and Ibbi Hansen in Fort Benton, MT. He grew up there with his two brothers, Danny and Corry, and sister Tammie. In 1974 he met Bobbie Michaels. Later, they married and had three daughters together who were all born in December. They were married for 7 years before separating, but they remained close so they could raise their three girls together. Then in 1988, he met Sherry Starman who he spent 20 years together. With that relationship, she brought three sons who they shared and raised together. The joined families were known to others as "The Brady Bunch".

Len helped run the family business what everyone knows as "The Body Shop" before he built his own shop next to his house. He was a great body man and a perfectionist when it came to painting. Len could paint anything from cars, trucks, all the way to boats and a farm tractor for a friend. Len was a jack of all trades, and to all who knew him, if he didn't know how to do something, he would figure it out for himself because he was too cheap to pay someone else to do it. Even after the cancer took the use of his right arm, he was still out in his shop trying to get jobs done by himself. It took him longer, but he was dedicated to keep going until the job was complete. In fact, many people didn't even know how sick he was because he was so determined to live and refused to let cancer take over his life. Lennie had a heart of gold and was never known to say anything bad about anyone. He was a very likable person who could strike up a conversation with anyone. He was a generous soul and was always willing to lend a helping hand. He was a great modifier, so if he didn't have the part or the tool to fix it, then he would build something that would "get the job done". Len was what some would call a classified freak, which later was replaced by Craigslist to find the "really good buy". Although rather quiet, Len had his own vocabulary that only family and friends could understand when it came to "cluster". He had a great sense of humor that he kept until his very last day, and he will always be remembered for his witty comments.

Lennie loved his dog, and you would never see him go anywhere without him. He treasured his Chevy cars and trucks and was an avid Nascar fan. He also did some of his own drag racing with his brothers when they were younger. He looked forward to his yearly salmon fishing trip to Ashley Lake with his brothers and friends. He loved fishing, camping, and especially his time at Tiber. However, when summer came to an end, that didn't make him sad; it meant harvest was soon to begin. Lennie was always one of the firsts out on the combine every year. Although he was only able to run the combine with one arm, he was still determined to harvest this season too. Sadly, Harvest 2016 would be his very last, but it gave him so much happiness. It was one last thing he was able to do that he was really passionate about, and it brought life back into his soul.

Lennie is survived by his children Heidi Hansen, Lenise (Brian) Bennett, Mandie (TJ) Zumbusch, Tyler (Jenni) Starman, Levi (Evelyn) Starman, Dusty (Katey) Starman, his grandchildren Bryson, Logan, Alicyn, Whytney, Jadeen, Keelen, Melody, Owen, Kaleigh, Sadelynn, and Adeline, mother, Ibbi Trainer, brothers, Danny (Karla) Hansen, Corry (Gail) Hansen, sister, Tammie Evans, nieces, Leslie Clewein and Crystal Chovanak, and his little buddy, Rowdy. He was proceeded in death by his father Darryl Hansen and nephew Justin Hansen.

Lennie was a very proud father and papa. He never wanted to miss any birthday, sporting event, dance recital or anything his grandkids were involved in. Getting together with those he loved was important and he especially enjoyed his New Year's tradition of cooking prime rib dinner for his family. Len will be remembered for his sense of humor, kind heart, and admirable strength. He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.

Services will be Friday, November 18 ^th , 2016 at 2:00 pm at Community Bible Church in Fort Benton and reception will follow at The Club House.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are suggested to Sletten Cancer Institute to help continue with their mission and support their amazing staff.