Students, faculty recall beloved teacher and colleague

Mr.+Kevin+Hansen.

Mr. Kevin Hansen.

Mount Carmel students, parents and faculty gathered in the Cacciatore Athletic Center on Saturday evening, April 11, to mourn the passing of a teacher, colleague, and friend.

Mr. Kevin Hansen, 33, died early on Saturday morning after a short but valiant struggle against leukemia, a diagnosis that had come only after the beginning of Mount Carmel’s Easter break.  The sudden passing of this young and vibrant member of the faculty sent waves of shock and disbelief throughout the school community he had served for the past decade.

Hansen, described by his colleague Mark Antonietti as “the hardest working guy at Mount Carmel,” taught Theology to freshmen; served as Equipment Manager for the football program; organized summer service trips to Appalachia; chaperoned the annual “Walk for Life” bus trip to Washington D.C.; and moderated the Young Politicians’ Club.  As numerous colleagues and students attested before, during, and after Saturday’s prayer service, he was a man of deep faith who lived each day to the fullest.

The prayer service, led by Mount Carmel President Fr. Tony Mazurkiewicz and Br. Matthew Gummess, included the recitation of psalms and proclamation of the scriptures.  During a brief homily Fr. Tony recalled how just three weeks ago Hansen had delighted the student body with his annual, exuberant rendition of “Come Sail Away” during the St. Baldrick’s Day celebration, and noted that there was no indication of any illness, even on the last evening before Easter break, when Hansen, as always, responded to a question about his day with his typical answer:  “It was a great day.”

Although Fr. Tony related a caution offered by Hansen’s mother, who warned against “canonizing her son,” many in attendance accepted Fr. Tony’s invitation to share a story or memory, each of which spoke of the enduring impact Hansen has made on their lives.

Hansen’s uncle and aunt spoke first, thanking the community for its prayers during this past difficult week, and emphasizing how deeply their nephew loved his ministry to the students of Mount Carmel.

Then, story after story flowed.

Antonietti marveled at the way Hansen consistently prodded students to do their best, frequently sending hand-written reminders about missing work.  What was most striking to Antonietti about those reminders, which almost every student in attendance recalled receiving, was that they were never negative, but always focused on the opportunity to improve a grade.

Junior Henry Lansing recalled how at the end of his first day as a freshman, he was summoned to Room 107 (Hansen’s classroom) during the afternoon announcements. Dreading the reason, he immediately was put at ease when he learned that Hansen – who knew that Lansing was the only Jewish student in the freshman class – just wanted to check on how his first day had gone.  Lansing noted that he has never forgotten that thoughtfulness, made all the more noteworthy since he wasn’t even a student in Hansen’s class.

Mr. Phil Segroves, Associate Director of Marketing and Enrollment, remembered the time when Hansen showed up in his office with a collection of Matchbox toy cars saved from his own childhood, that he now wanted Segroves to pass along to his four young boys.

Senior Richard Ehlert, a member of Hansen’s Studium 107, recalled Hansen’s generosity in stepping up to moderate the Young Politician’s Club, despite the many other responsibilities he already held.

Athletic Director Dan Lacount related the time that Hansen, overseeing the scorer’s table at a basketball game, pointed out to the referees that Mount Carmel’s coaches has called “time out” even though they had used their allotment.  Lacount acknowledged that Hansen’s integrity sometimes was frustrating, but he valued his colleague for being “Mount Carmel’s moral compass,” as much as for the countless hours Hansen gave to organizing and repairing equipment for the football program.

Br. Matt Gummess lauded the humility of his friend and fellow freshman Theology teacher, whose long list of accomplishments as a young man included being Valedictorian of his senior class at Joliet Catholic, as well as “Athlete of the Year” and “Senior of the Year,” before later graduating from the University of Notre Dame.

And while acknowledging Mrs. Hansen’s caution against “canonizing” her son, Principal John Stimler suggested that Hansen embodied the definition of a “saint” to which Mount Carmel students are introduced in Theology:  to do ordinary things with extraordinary love.

A sign that hangs in Hansen’s classroom reads “The only tragedy in life is in not becoming a saint.”  It was a lesson Kevin Hansen taught in words, and strove to embody in the way he lived.

Visitation will be held on Wednesday from 2:00 to 8:00 PM at the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home, 3200 Black Road (at Essington Road) in Joliet.  The Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11:00 AM on Thursday at the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus, 604 Raynor Avenue, Joliet, with interment to follow in Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery.