Jane Ann Hansen, age 84, of Albert Lea, Minnesota, passed away on Thursday, September 17, from cancer. Services were held privately.

Born May 24, 1942, in Albert Lea, Minnesota, to Harry and Kathryn Lindorff, Jane grew up surrounded by family and learned early the importance of family, education, and intellectual curiosity. While attending college, she met Thomas Paul Hansen, and together they built a partnership rooted in love, respect, and shared adventure. They were married on August 18, 1963, in Alden, Minnesota, and celebrated 63 years together.

As a Peace Corps volunteer in Liberia, West Africa, from 1964 to 1966, Jane lived and worked alongside the Liberian people, an experience that shaped Jane’s worldview and inspired a lifelong commitment to education, understanding, and service to others.

Jane earned her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and devoted 34 years to higher education as a professor of Reading, Writing, and Education at the University of New Hampshire and the University of Virginia. Much of her work focused on mentoring doctoral students and preparing future educators to teach reading and writing effectively. Jane was instrumental in developing curriculum and instructional methods that influenced generations of teachers. Her expertise was widely recognized, and she was frequently invited to lead conferences and educational sessions across the United States and internationally, including in Brazil, Belize, and Australia. Her work helped shape how reading and writing were taught in classrooms and teacher preparation programs across the country.

Jane’s contributions to literacy education earned national recognition. She was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame in 2006 and later served as its president. Following her retirement from the University of Virginia in 2013, she was honored with the title of Professor Emerita.

Those who knew Jane remember her as intelligent, kind, humble, and deeply caring. She valued meaningful relationships, lifelong learning, and helping others discover their own potential. Through her teaching, scholarship, mentorship, and personal relationships, she influenced countless lives.

Outside of her professional accomplishments, Jane embraced an active and adventurous life. She enjoyed cross-country skiing, cycling, gardening, folk dancing, and spending time outdoors. Never one to shy away from a new experience, she was among the early women to try surfing in Waikiki during the early 1970s. Her curiosity, energy, and enthusiasm for life remained with her throughout the years.

Jane was preceded in death by her parents, Harry and Kathryn Lindorff.

She is lovingly remembered by her husband, Thomas Paul Hansen; her sisters, Shirley Pickett and Karen Bergemann; her brother, Neil Lindorff; and many nieces, nephews, extended family members, friends, former students, and colleagues whose lives were enriched by knowing her.