Joshua Hansen

Joshua Charles Hansen, born April 10, 2006, of Rochester, MN, was welcomed into the arms of Jesus, on January 9, 2025, at Mayo Clinic Hospital, St. Mary’s Campus due to complications following a courageous battle with B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) at the age of 18 years, 8 months and 30 days. He is the beloved son of George and Monica Hansen. 

Josh was a bright light to all who knew him and had a profound impact on so many people during his life. He had a gentle and compassionate heart, even as a young child, always making sure everyone was included and had a chance to join the fun he was experiencing. He was active in his church and loved Jesus with his whole heart. He was an outgoing, active young man, who loved fishing more than anything, but was also an athlete. A great friend and teammate, Josh loved his time with the John Marshall soccer, basketball and tennis teams, and the Rochester Fishing Team. Fiercely competitive and good at most things he picked up, Josh enjoyed life fully, throwing himself into any sport he tried. He was a very bright young man, and despite his diagnosis and subsequent treatments and transplant, he graduated from John Marshall High School on June 1, 2024, surrounded by family and friends who cheered loudly for him as he walked across the stage. His goal was to become a civil or environmental engineer, and he was accepted into the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota. He planned to have started there in the fall of 2024 prior to his cancer recurrence.

Josh is survived by his loving parents, George and Monica Hansen; his sister, Leah Hansen (15) and sister in his heart Alexis Finley (15); his grandmothers, Gina Hansen, of Strongsville, OH, and Nancy Floriana, of Millbury, OH. He leaves behind aunts and uncles who adored him dearly, including Charles & Diane Hansen, Michelle & Michael Hall, Melissa Kelly, Mike Kelly and Melody Hofbauer and cousins who shared his joyful spirit and loved him deeply, Ivory, Hannah, Megan, Andrew, Malachi, Adam, Derek, Nathan, Vanessa, Owen and Morgan. He also leaves behind his sweet girlfriend, Aubrey Meyers, who he loved dearly during the short time they had. He is proceeded in death by his grandfathers, Chuck Hansen, and Ronald Floriana, who met him at heavens gates. He also leaves many other extended family members and friends who will miss him every day. 

6849 days made up Josh’s life, but those days will have a lasting impact on this world. Josh loved fishing, first and foremost. He would be gone for hours, if not an entire day at a time, spending time at the river with good friends. He loved his friends, whether he was competing on the field/court, playing video games online, or trying to dominate at friends and family game nights. He was able to fit so much life into the time he had.

We are grateful to the organizations that gifted Josh with trips to Montana and to the Rainy River, where he caught the biggest fish he could imagine, a 100 lbs. lake sturgeon! We will be forever grateful to the UMN Golden Gophers Men’s basketball program who gave him amazing experiences. They treated him like a member of the team, inviting him to games and practices, giving him a signing ceremony with his own jersey, and including him in the end of the year softball game. The players were incredible with him, playing ping pong in the locker room, taking him out fishing, and even taking the time to come to Rochester to hang out and play video games.

We watched Josh face battle after battle with cancer with such grace, strength and can-do attitude. He fought so bravely, enduring some of the most difficult and painful complications the doctors have seen. He continued to fight for his life, recognizing the gift of every day. He wished for others to see how fortunate they were just to have the ability to eat or drink or walk around, and he made a video to share with the world on the importance of gratitude. Josh’s CaringBridge site had almost 80,000 visits as people followed updates on his progress. People across the world prayed for Josh, but despite the best efforts to get Josh back home, our hearts broke when his stopped on January 9, 2025.

Those who knew Josh will remember him for his infectious smile and goofy personality. He had a rare gift to make people laugh, doing silly dances, making faces or throwing one liners, leaving a lasting impact on all who crossed his path. May his memory be a blessing and may each of us endeavor to live a life of gratitude as Josh asked of us. The world will never be the same without him, but we are forever grateful for the years we had with this special young man and our memories of him. His legacy will carry on forever reminding us that we control our attitudes, that we choose to live a life of meaningful acts of love and service, like Christ modeled for us. 

A visitation will be held from 5:30-8:30 pm on Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes (5421 Royal Pl. NW, Rochester, MN 55901). A memorial service will be held at 5:00 pm on Thursday, January 16, 2025 at Christ Community Church (4400 55th St NW, Rochester, MN 55901) with a celebration of his life with a meal and time to share to follow. For those unable to attend the service, there will be a livestream available at the link below.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Eagle Mount, Minnesota Outdoor Adventure Foundation or Childhood Cancer Community.

Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Home is honored to be serving the Hansen family. To share a special memory or condolence, please visit www.ranfranzandvinefh.com