Wenke H. Hansen

Wenke H Hansen died in her home in DeKalb, Illinois on Monday, September 16 at 9PM.

A celebration of life will be held at Elwood House visitors center on Friday October 4 from 4PM to 6PM.

She is survived by her son Sven Oscar Hansen,

four grandchildren: Joachim Hansen, Sebastian Hansen, Camilla Soto and Alexander Hansen,

Three great grandchildren: Maeva Petersen, Cassia Hansen, Diana Soto.

Her husband Sven Otto Hansen died in 1999.

Wenke Hansen,

Making America Your Home

If you lived in DeKalb anytime between 1980 and 2010 you would most probably know Wenke Hansen as the elegant lady with a Norwegian accent who worked at, and later owned and operated Glidden Florist on West Lincoln near the NIU campus.  Wenke Hansen was in fact one of the earliest female business owner/entrepreneurs in DeKalb during those years.

Her story starts in Norway, where she was raised by a single mother—her father died in the second year of World War II, his ship sunk by a German U-boat.  She grew up with her sister as young women with their father gone 8 months of the year in the Antarctic Ocean as an engineer on a large whaling boat actively hunting for whales. This was a major industry in Norway at the time.

At an early age she showed talent as an artist and crafter, learning sewing, knitting, drawing and even clothes design at an early age. She also developed a gift for business and retail.  She managed a jewelry store beginning at age 17. This was in her hometown of Tonsberg Norway 60 miles from Oslo, the capital city.

In 1954 she made the journey by ocean liner to America—the destination, DeKalb Illinois.

She arrived with her new husband Sven. They came to this country almost on a lark. Sven wished to take a year or two abroad and work as an apprentice greenhouse man/grower at DeKalb Florist. The young couple loved DeKalb in the 1950's. She remembers it as a vibrant rural community with many interesting people and opportunities. They decided to stay, eventually becoming US citizens, but they returned to Norway often for summer visits.

They ended up owning and operating Glidden Florist as they grew deeper and deeper roots in DeKalb. For over 40 years Wenke enjoyed bringing fresh flowers with a European flair to her customers in DeKalb, at Northern Illinois University, as well as serving many of the smaller communities in the area. It is no exaggeration to say that she knew perhaps half of the town by name.

She lived a long and fulfilling life as a mother, wife, creative artist, business owner, and as a passionate community member of DeKalb, Illinois.

This is how she made America her home.

Arrangements were entrusted to Finch Funeral Home 310 Oak St. DeKalb, IL 60115 815-758-3841.