Jennifer Marie Hansen, 45, of Columbia, died on Wednesday, December 18, 2024. Born in Seattle, WA, on June 9, 1979, she was a daughter of John Thomas and Diane Marie Franson.
Jen was a loving, caring, problem-solving mother who took care of her children and family with apparent ease and passion. She made even the toughest problems look easy to solve and greeted everyone with a smile. She dedicated her young adult life to her children, and as they moved into high school and college, she transitioned to career life. She found meaning in her work as a project manager for PaleoValley, an organic, whole foods company that was a miracle for her and her families' dietary needs. She loved Maui and wished she could have a life there, but she found the next best place to live in South Carolina, the Palm State, where she could live her Island Life within the continental US. Here, she gave herself permission to build, make, and direct her home in just the way she wanted, and found empowerment in the minutiae of home ownership. While she left us sooner than expected, memories of her positive impact on us will remain with us always.

Survivors include her father, John Franson, partner Josh Judge, whom she loved dearly; her children, Caleb Hansen, Logan Hansen and Jacob Hansen who she loved more than life itself; and sisters, Jamie Hughes and Julie Ysebaert. She was preceded in death by her mother, Diane Franson.

The service for Ms. Hansen will be held on Friday, January 3, 2025 at 2pm at Christ Episcopal Church in Puyallup, WA.

Memorials may be made payable to Jen's children and then sent to the care of Shives Funeral Home, 7600 Trenholm Road Ext., Columbia, SC, 29223. Flowers may be sent to Christ Episcopal Church.