Rosalie "Sissy" (Goetten) Hansen

ROSALIE “SISSY” (GOETTEN) HANSEN

JERSEYVILLE - Rosalie Theresa “Sissy” Hansen, 98, passed away peacefully at 11:06 a.m., Sunday, October 26, 2025, in the Emergency Room at Jersey Community Hospital.

She was born on June 14, 1927, in Fieldon, Illinois, one of six children born to the late Henry and Margaret B. (Schmieder) Goetten. Faith and family were the heart of her upbringing, and she carried both like a torch throughout her 98 remarkable years.

Sissy married the love of her life, William F. Hansen, on May 14, 1949 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Fieldon, the same church where she was baptized as a child. Together, they built not only a marriage but a legacy, raising their family with love, humor, and a quiet strength that never wavered. He preceded her in death on January 16, 2003

In 1952, Sissy and Bill took a leap of faith and founded Hansen Packing in Jerseyville. She was the bookkeeper, the backbone, and the one who made sure everything balanced - numbers, schedules, and hearts alike. Through decades of hard work and sacrifice, they created a family business that would thrive through two more generations, and a legacy of integrity that will long outlive them both.

Faith was the steady thread that ran through her entire life. A longtime and devoted member of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Jerseyville, she lived her beliefs with quiet grace, always quick to pray for others, always the first to lend a hand, and always the one to remind her family that blessings, big or small, were meant to be shared.

When people talk about a “matriarch,” they’re talking about women like Sissy Hansen. She wasn’t just the matriarch of her family; she was the matriarch of an era. The oldest living descendant of Bobo and Barbara Schmieder, she was the keeper of stories, the voice of reason, and the heartbeat of every gathering. She was wise, witty, fiercely loyal, and endlessly kind. 

Sissy loved to play cards, laugh with family, and keep everyone honest with her good-natured teasing. She embodied what it means to live a life well - faithful, genuine, and deeply connected to those she loved. Whether it was through a simple card game, a shared meal, or a warm hug, she had a way of making everyone feel seen, valued, and loved. To meet her once was to love her. To know her was to be changed by her. There was simply no one like her. Sissy Hansen was the kind of woman you didn’t forget, because she left a little bit of herself with everyone she met.

Surviving are her four children: Mike “Roundman” and Joann Hansen of Henderson, Nevada; David and Paula Hansen of Jerseyville; Mary and Paul Bartlett of Brighton; and James Hansen of Springfield; a daughter-in-law, Marsha Hansen of Jerseyville; ten grandchildren; twenty-one great-grandchildren; a brother, Norbert “Norb” Goetten of Jerseyville; and three sisters-in-law, Joyce Goetten of Jerseyville, Loretta Goetten of Fieldon, and Carolyn Hansen of Hamel.

In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by two sons, Kevin Eugene “Crackers” Hansen and Ronald Hansen; a sister, Maurita Fraley; and three brothers, Roger “Tuffy” Goetten, Richard “Dickie” Goetten, and Wilfred “Willie” Goetten. 

Visitation will be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Friday, October 31, 2025, at Crawford Funeral Home in Jerseyville. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 11:30 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Fieldon, with burial to take place at St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Memorials may be given to St. Francis/Holy Ghost Catholic School.

For those who were blessed to know her, Sissy will be remembered not only for her 98 remarkable years, but for the way she lived each one with heart, humor, and an unwavering love that filled every room she entered. She was, simply put, the best of us.

Memories may be shared with the family by visiting www.crawfordfunerals.com.

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