Roger Hanson

Roger Hanson was born in 1951 to Ronald Roger Hanson and Joyce Eunice (Dachel) in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He died on April 29, 2026, in Middleton, Wisconsin. He grew up with cats, ducks, and a Saint Bernard dog -- who won an award in a 4th of July parade -- and at about age nine, a new sister, Angela (Jill) Hanson. He loved being outdoors as much as possible.

Life changed dramatically at age 12 when his father committed suicide. He held that with him for his whole life. You may have seen that deep sadness in the compassion he felt for everyone and every living being. He managed high school after that, complete with a couple of suspensions for long hair (he obviously paid heavily for this misdemeanor by losing his hair later in life). He went on to love college and graduated with honors – a bachelor’s degree in philosophy (which naturally led to house painting) and a master’s degree in library and information sciences (which led to UW Madison ADP, later called DoIT). Somewhere in there, he married Anna Biermeier (many say in obituaries, the “love of his life”) and welcomed two children, Ben and Libby (oops, they may be the real loves of his life).

Roger was the kind of kid who took an astronomy chart outside and did not come in until he had memorized the sky. He read widely, loved to talk to people who had an interest, and spent time learning so he could continue the discussion another day.

Running outdoors all day as a kid translated into a need for movement as an adult: in karate, aikido, and tai chi; long distance biking; wilderness canoeing and camping; volunteering at Bethel Horizons; and hiking the Ice Age Trail. In the years since his stroke and bone marrow transplant the trail helped keep him alive.

Retirement allowed him to become a Master Gardener Volunteer. He said that didn’t mean he knew anything, it just meant he knew how to find answers in the research. He loved answering calls for the Dane County Extension Horticulture Helpline, consoling people with problems and finding possible solutions. He loved the Anana Elementary School Garden, especially talking to kids about bugs. And he loved gardening with the volunteers at the Wayforward Food Pantry Garden, even if he was the one who had to crawl into the stormwater drain to hook up the hose from the hydrant.

He learned to play the piano to fit in with the rest of the family but then discovered guitar and a guitar teacher who opened a new world of music. The bluegrass music he found at Merlefest in North Carolina was especially important to him. In the end, he loved almost any kind of music played well.

The Midwest was beautiful to him. Plenty to see, places to wander, and explore. Other beautiful places – China, Korea, South America, Europe, Canada – also brought joy, particularly when traveling with Ben and Libby. Welcoming international students and scholars into our home over some forty years brought even more joy.

He kept engaged – subscriptions to plays and concerts, supplemented by ushering at the Overture and American Players Theater for years – allowed him to find yet another community of good people.

But what about his work? Ben wrote this summary about Roger’s work from the application submitted for Roger’s emeritus status prior to retiring: “Roger had a 35-year career at UW-Madison in the Division of Information Technology. He led efforts that transformed how students, faculty, and staff experienced technology through countless technological shifts. Through all of this, he tried to be a servant leader, removing barriers so people could be empowered to do their best, meaningful work.” Roger would add, “And as the technology changed over time, I always got to play with the new toys.” He loved the work and the people he worked with. He was so grateful for their creativity, dedication, skill and friendship. Since his stroke, some were regular visitors filling the house with laughter and great energy. After their visits, he always did better.

Roger was old enough you can imagine who died before him. A whole slew of people who loved him are still around, including Anna Biermeier, Ben (Katie Arnold) Biermeier-Hanson and son Lucas, Libby Biermeier-Hanson, and Jill Hanson, Cousin, Sally (Mike) Hable, many in-laws, a small group of out-laws, and friends who are like family.

Roger owed the last 15 years of his life to health care providers who were both brilliant and empathetic. Some of them grew up in the Midwest and thankfully chose to stay here. Many were immigrants from all over the world who luckily chose to come here. They were in UW hospital, clinics, infusion center, emergency department and more recently Agrace Hospice and Home Instead.

If interested, consider a donation to an organization you love. Roger’s largest donation this year was to Friends of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. He would not mind if you supported them.

A celebration of life will be held later.