Charles Edward Hansen of Round Lake, NY, passed away with a peaceful smile at the age of 80 at Saratoga Hospital on May 10, 2020.
Charles had a storied and successful professional life, circulating through different careers at different times. His longest career was as a salesman at Morris Ford Mercury. It is said, “Charles is the only man that I know that could sell a car to himself and make money.” Charles also spent most of his adult life owning, training, and driving standardbred horses. He traveled the circuit for many years and owned several winning horses. Charles was also a part of the Albany music scene. He was a self-taught singer-song writer and guitar player and was a contestant on “You Can Be a Star” in 1983. Charles had a gift which shined through his lyrical stories within the country and folk music scenes. Charles lived every moment. He rarely rested and seized any opportunity to be productive and accomplish things. He had so many passions over the years, from working on motorcycles and owning a chop shop, to playing basketball with the Empire State over 55 league. His teams placed and earned several medals. He was the hardest working player on the court, relentless. What he lacked in physical prowess, he made up for with heart, determination, and a never-give-up mindset. He would frequent both of his grandsons’ basketball games over the years and could often be heard loudly challenging the referees calls and screaming for his grandsons to “Cut, cut, cut!!” Later in life, he began to enjoy the simple pleasures in life such as landscaping, car detailing, and spending time with his 10 grandchildren – 3 grandsons and 7 granddaughters whom he absolutely adored: Brittany, Brooke, Jack, Georgia, Ty, Reh, Elaina, Mila, Lu, and Sienna. Charles showed us that being a Dad is about having fun, teaching kids how to be kids by embodying that child-like spirit, and sharing insight and knowledge about life and growing up when we needed it most. He did all of this with a relentless motivation and eagerness. Even toward the end, he never stopped moving. If we can be half as influential upon our kids as he was with us, then we are blessed. His humor and boundless nuttiness will be so missed.
Charles is survived by his partner of 13 years, Theodora (Teddy), sons Scott and Jesse, daughters Kellie, Jeanna, and Toni, and his 10 cherished grandchildren.
Teddy brought so much fun, love, and adventure into Charles’ life. He had not gone on a vacation until they met. It became something he so looked forward to planning and doing. Teddy was the love of Charles’ life. She kept him in line and showed him new ways to look at how to spend his time. Teddy showed Charles how he could actually relax and have fun at the same time, which was challenging because he rarely stopped moving. Charles will be missed by so many. He was such a unique and bright light in this world.