GARNAVILLO, Iowa — Reverend Bruce L. Hanson, age 75 of Garnavillo, IA passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Santa Ana, CA. He was born in Lansing, MI on October 2, 1948, the son of Lyle and Ruth (Magruder) Hanson. Upon moving to Urbana, IL, he graduated from Urbana High School with the class of 1966. Bruce attended Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, VA. He then furthered his studies at Parkland College in Champagne, IL where he would meet the love of his life, Connie Uden. Bruce married Connie on August 16, 1969, at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Flatville, IL, and together, they raised two children. He later graduated from the University of Dubuque before obtaining his Master of Divinity Degree from Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, IA. He became the Pastor of West Akers and First Lutheran Church of Arland of Prairie Farm, WI and Clayton, WI. He later led the parishes of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Benson, IL, St. John’s Lutheran Church in Ashton, IL, and St. Peter Lutheran Church in Arenzville, IL. He later moved to Iowa where Bruce ministered to the two-point parish of St. John’s Lutheran Church of Farmersburg, IA, and First Lutheran Church (Swede Ridge) in McGregor, IA before becoming interim pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, where he remained for over 10 years. Bruce served as the Police Chaplain for the Iowa State Police for many years. He was also a care advisor who advocated for patients from Iowa to Washington D.C. to Internationally as a founding member of PCORI (The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute), serving on research committees that advocated for rural healthcare. Bruce spent his life educating others as a teacher of faith. He never met a stranger and was always quick to extend his kindness and generosity to others. He enjoyed spending time with family, working with stained glass and woodworking, camping, fishing and tinkering with new computer technology. He also loved his dog, Bella dearly. Bruce’s wife Connie preceded him in death on April 3, 2017. He is survived by his children Angela (Jim) Primrose and Aaron (Ivory) Hanson; siblings Karen Malocha, Craig (Carolyn) Hanson, and Jane Becker; grandchildren Tzion Kirk, Dajaé Hanson, Katelyn and Derek Primrose; partner Diane Gunderson; step-grandchildren Deja and Chava Dominique; great-grandchildren Ty’Lasia Hanson, Jenesis and Jerson Joyner; and 8 nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents. 

Funeral Services will be Monday, April 22, 2024, at 11:00 A.M. at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Guttenberg, IA, with burial in the Garnavillo City Cemetery in Garnavillo, IA. Friends may call at the church on Sunday, April 21, 2024, from 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. and also at church an hour prior to the service on Monday. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Fishburne Military School or The Lutheran Church of the Wilderness on the Stockbridge Munsee Band of Mohican Reservation.