Martha A. Hanson

Martha Hanson, 65, of West Chester, passed on November 30, 2024. Martha passed in the embrace of her adoring husband Tony, and daughters Jen Quigley (Hanson) and Kathy Hanson. Her cherished grandson, Lucio, was also nearby. She was the heart of our family and made every day better for all of us and her many friends. 

Martha grew up in Havertown and Broomall, Pennsylvania with her parents, Wayne (deceased) and Marilyn Keller (Draude), and a sister, Susan. 

Martha had many passions and successes in life but she was always family centered. She excelled in school at Marple Newtown High School, Cabrini College, where she was Class Valedictorian in 1981, and Penn State, where she earned her Master’s degree in Special Education. She taught at Devereux for a few years before taking 10 years off to stay home to help nurture Jen and Kathy into the caring, independent, successful women they are today. She then resumed her teaching career at Highland High School in Blackwood, New Jersey, teaching, advising the Honor Society, and working with the Renaissance program. In 2007, she was honored as “Educator of the Year”, all the while adding and maintaining countless friends attracted to her calm, unassuming, and caring nature.

In 2018, after a second breast cancer diagnosis, she and Tony moved to Hershey’s Mill in West Chester, to be closer to her parents in Newtown Square and Jen and Lucio in Phoenixville. Later, Kathy would move back to the area from New York to also be closer to family.

In the new senior community, Martha indulged her lifelong love of reading and found a new passion in painting. She also helped edit the monthly Hershey’s Mill digest. She and Tony grew even closer during long walks on the beautiful grounds there and doing jigsaw puzzles, especially during Covid. Among her most precious times were (sometimes) quiet mornings spent with Lucio playing countless games, from board games to Hot Wheels car crashes to vibrating bugs in a maze, as well as painting and reading and snuggling while Poppop slept in. 

Martha and Tony traveled every year with the girls when they were young, with particularly memorable trips to Disney World, Hershey Park, Cedar Point in Ohio, Hawaii, and several cruises. Later, Martha and Tony explored Europe with a series of trips and river cruises. Paris was magical (twice) and memorable highlights include Stonehenge, Normandy, and Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, land of her ancestors. The whole family also enjoyed weeks down the shore each summer and many other “weekend” getaways. She was always available to family and friends for love and support, with a sympathetic ear, to celebrate a success, to just be there. 

A Celebration of Life will be held at Fox Barn at Twenty9 in Malvern 2:00-5:00 PM, Saturday, December 14, 2024. There will be a brief ceremony and toast to Martha at 3:30 PM as we remember, honor, and celebrate a much loved and remarkable woman.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Unite for HER at https://uniteforher.org/getinvolved/  in support of breast cancer and ovarian cancer patients.