Ellen Hanser

Ellen Hanser passed away peacefully of congestive heart failure on December 28, 2020, at her home in Broadview, Montana, with her children by her side. She lived an active and admirable life of 90 years. Ellen was raised by her parents, Perry and Wilhelmina Moore, on their historic family ranch west of Two Dot. She grew up herding cattle on horseback, branding calves, rounding up stray heifers, feeding chickens, and running the buck rake. Her younger sisters, Bonnie and Kay, would frequently bamboozle Ellen into thinking that it was her turn to wash the dishes for the haying crew of sixteen. Good-natured Ellen did the dishes, humming as she worked. Her brother, Jim, always said that, with her know-how, “She could have run the ranch.” Ellen attended Montana State College and graduated in 1952 with honors and the title of Rodeo Queen. She was a smart, charming beauty. Once, two of Ellen's suitors showed up at the ranch on the same day, one from Choteau and the other from Billings. Perry wasn't sure what to do with them so he assigned the two young men to sleep in the cookhouse that night and figure out the situation. Ellen was a matchmaker on top of being a charmer. She introduced Jim to Kay Nash, who became his wife, and it's said she was instrumental in Kay meeting Jerry Gleason. Ellen taught home economics for a year in Fromberg after graduation, then decided to broaden her horizons, taking a job in Fairbaugh, Minnesota. Her words: “I left Montana to teach teenage girls in a fancy private academy how to ride. I had never ridden on an English saddle. The girls suited up in their jodphurs and polished boots and I wore my Levis and bruised cowboy boots.” “She loved the girls and they loved her,” said sister Kay. Ellen was exposed to a new universe when she attended her first concerts and plays in Minneapolis with her students. An interest in travel awakened in her, and she decided to apply for a stewardess position with TWA. She landed the job and gave up her Levis for a beige tailored suit with a matching pillbox hat. Her time at TWA spanned the years 1954-1957. After two years she was promoted to supervising 300 hostesses during a time when the work pace increased as airlines transitioned from prop planes to jets. On one flight a passenger encouraged her to apply for a public relations position in San Francisco, launching her career in PR for the California Wine Institute. On behalf of wine growers, Ellen prepared cooking demonstration kits used by news media across the country and appeared on television promoting the use of wine in cooking. She moved on from that job in mid-1964 to do PR for the Washington Wheat Commission. In this position she represented the wheat industry in a statewide program of nutrition education. Her older sister, Peggy, who lived in Pullman, proudly called her “the Washington Wheat Lady.” Ellen returned to Montana and soon realized the need for ranchers to hear market and weather news. She pitched a show on the topic to Joe Sample, owner of a Billings TV station. The result was Ellen's producing and hosting a talk show in Billings, including inviting the guests. Her show called Midday in Montana aired on weekdays, and Jim and Kay Moore's kids remember watching it. The rancher who would become her husband of 45 years, Bill Hanser of Broadview, was one of her guests. Married at 36 years old, Ellen delivered four children in as many years. Besides being a woman ahead of her time in her career, Ellen thrived again as a rancher, trading in her high heels for work boots and delivering three big meals a day to the harvest crew. She also took on parenting and later grand-parenting with gusto, with eight of her grandchildren and their parents living under her roof for several years. Ellen, a devoted Catholic, attended Mass at Mary Queen of Peace in Billings regularly and was well-loved there. She is survived by her children Terry Hanser Wilcox (Steve) of Simi Valley, CA; Bill (Liz) of Billings, MT; Susie Hanser of Camarillo, CA; and Don Hanser of Broadview, MT; her grandchildren in the Don Hanser family: Christian (Brianna), parents of Grace; Nathaniel, Madeline, Chloe, Gabriel, William, Xavier, and Genevieve; grandchildren in the Terry Hanser-Wilcox family: Danette, Alex and Cassandra; and grandchildren in the Bill Hanser family: Catie Gragert (Jordan); Maggie McCullough (Travis), children Everly and Berklee; Abbie Hanser, Ellen Hanser (“Ellie”), and Annie Hanser. Ellen is also survived by her sister, Kay Moore Gleason of Carmel, California (Jerry); sister-in-law, Kay Nash Moore of Bozeman; brother-in-law Paul Hanser (Lois) of Davenport; brother-in-law Ralph Hanser (Sharon) of Billings; and many nieces and nephews. Family members remember how Ellen ended phone calls with a double blessing in her loving, upbeat voice: “God bless ya, bless ya!” Ellen sends that same blessing to her family today from her heavenly home. The family requests that any donations go to the Broadview Community Center, PO Box 22, Broadview, MT 59015, in honor of Ellen Hanser. Tribute Video Video of Funeral Mass