Delbert Loyal Hansen

Delbert Loyal Hansen
God saw he was getting tired,
And a cure was not to be,
So He put His arms around our Dad
And whispered, ?Come with me.?
With tearful eyes we watched him suffer,
And saw him fade away,
Although we loved him dearly,
We could not make him stay,
A golden heart stopped beating,
Hardworking hands to rest;
Although it broke our hearts to let him go,
It?s time now for our Dad to rest. Delbert Loyal Hansen, 78, died of cancer April 13, 2005, at his home in Smithfield surrounded by his family. Loyal was born October 26, 1926, in Redmond, Utah, to Delbert and Nora Brunson Hansen. He graduated from North Sevier High School in 1944. After two years in the Navy, serving in the Mediterranean during World War II, he returned home to attend Utah State College. There he met and married his biology lab partner, Belva Lou McArthur, in the Salt Lake Temple, August 18, 1948. Loyal served in the Army Reserve and as a security guard at Dugway Proving Grounds in the early years of their marriage. He later worked as a Soil Conservationist---planning watershed projects and working with the farmers in the valley. Loyal lived an active life in the outdoors close to God?s creations?hiking, camping, fishing throughout Utah and teaching family and scouts outdoor survival. Special passions learned in his youth included; horse back riding, dairy farming, caring for livestock, raising turkeys, harvesting eggs, and growing an enviable garden. His lifetime love of Bear Lake?s beauty led him to spend many weekends, at the family?s Bear Lake cabins, playing with grandchildren and sharing campfire stories. Loyal?s life was defined by hard work.?wasting time was not a part of his mortal experience. Although he loved to work and taught his children its value, he always had time for people. Loyal, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints, served as Executive Secretary, Home Teacher, Sunday School President and Scout Master. He heightened the scouting experience by teaching the boys to lash a thirty foot tower in the back yard--cutting and peeling the poles and making the rope. He designed and custom built pine wood derby tracks. He taught at Jamborees and introduced Indian dancing to his troops.
Known as ?The Rabbit Man?, he shared his love of rabbits with all. Three generations of Smithfield residents learned of pigeons and rabbits from ?Mr. Hansen?.
Sensitive to the beautiful home our earth provides--he instructed his scouts, children and grandchildren to always leave things better than they found them. He used the earth for seventy-eight years and left everyplace he went better than he found it.
Loyal is survived by his wife, Belva, and children: Meridene Eric Lindsey, Dell Loy Lynnette Hansen, Randy Leslie Hansen, Denise Dan Magda, twenty grandchildren, six great grandchildren, two sisters: Olive Ivan Watts, and Gereldine Hobbs. He was preceded in death by his parents, a sister, Fern Wiser, and a brother-in-law, Gordon Hobbs.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. at the Smithfield North Stake Center, 155 West 400 North, Smithfield, Utah. Friends may call Friday evening from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Nelson Funeral Home, 85 South Main, Smithfield and Saturday morning at the church from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. prior to services. Internment will be in the Smithfield City Cemetery with Military Honors provided by the United States Navy. As a family, we would like to express our sincere appreciation for the special care given by Alpine Hospice, Logan Regional Hospital, his physicians, and Nelson Funeral Home.