Mercadess Hanson, age 79, of Huron, passed away on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, at her daughter's home in Burnsville, Minnesota. Her Memorial Service will be held at 1:00 P.M., on Friday, August 11, 2023, at Welter Funeral Home in Huron. Burial will follow at Restlawn Memory Gardens Cemetery. Visitation, with the family present, will be two hours prior to the service at the funeral home on Friday.

Mercadess Joan Strand was born on December 16, 1943 in Minot, North Dakota to parents Gillian and Gladys (Olson) Strand. She grew up in the Minot area.

Mercadess married Dale Hanson in Minot, ND on June 22, 1967. They lived in Highmore, Wessington, Wolsey, South Dakota and moved to Huron, South Dakota in 2011. Mercadess worked as a clerk in the Treasurer's office in Stanley, ND, but for most of her life she was a dedicated full-time mother and homemaker.

Mercadess was a lifelong member of the Assemblies of God Church (Restoration Church) in Huron, SD.  Mercadess loved playing music and singing. She played the piano, the accordion, and the autoharp. It was said that Mercadess never met a piano she couldn't play.  She would play different pianos in various places much to the delight of the people listening.  Mercadess learned to play the piano by ear. In fact, the story was often told that as a two-year-old, Mercadess heard her dad whistling a particular tune outside the window of their home and she went over to the piano and started matching the notes that her dad was whistling.

Mercadess had a heart for serving others, whether it be her family, the church, or the local community.  She was also a caregiver for many children over her lifetime.

Grateful for having shared in Mercadess' life are her children and grandchildren, Mardell Bowser of Medford, OR and her son, Devon Bowser; Melody (Reg) Vorwerk of Woodland Park, CO and their children, Kendra and Bayley Vorwerk; Duane (Jodi) Hanson of Huron and their children, Carter and Olivia Hanson of Huron, and Dominique Williams and Kiana Larson of Sioux Falls; Dalmer (Jenifer) Hanson of Bloomington, MN and their daughter, Abby of Bloomington, MN; and Meranda Hanson of Burnsville, MN; 2 great-grandchildren, Royce Williams and Zemira Sumner; and sister Arlene Anderson of Crosby, ND; sisters-in-law Sharon Ballweber of Springfield, MO, Judy Biffert of Halliday, ND, Sharilee Strand of Auburn, WA; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Dale in 2021; brothers, Corliss Strand, Jerry Strand, Milo Strand and sister Leora Laughlin; sisters-in-law Luella, Inez and Hazel Hanson and Joyce Strand; her brothers-in-law, Myron, Glen, and Eldon Hanson, Jim Ballweber, and Fred Anderson.