Jake Hansen

Jacob James Hansen passed away in a tragic plane accident with his son Houston, father, grandfather, and five other beloved family members on November 30, 2019, in Chamberlain, South Dakota, at the age of 30. He was a loving husband, father, son, uncle, and friend.

Jake was born to very happy parents Jim and LeAnn Hansen on October 26, 1989. He was a beautiful baby and Jim’s pride and joy. Starting at a young age, Jake loved to laugh and make others laugh too. Everyone loved being around him. As a child, Jake enjoyed listening to his parents read to him and dreamt of becoming a cowboy, so much so that he would wear his cowboy hat, chaps, holster, toy pistols, and cowboy boots as much as possible. He loved horses so much that, besides collecting many toy horses, he would often be found out by the fence feeding them apples and begging his dad to let him saddle up and go for a ride. Even on the coldest winter nights, when it came time to feed the horses, Jake would be there all bundled up to make sure his dad did the job right.

Jake and his dad were inseparable. With the exception of when Jim was at work, Jake thought that they should go everywhere together. They would frequently venture out on rides together where Jake would exercise his gift of gab. Jim would just listen with a grin and greatly cherish riding with his sweet boy.

When Matt joined the family, Jake and Matt were instant buddies, which continued throughout their lives. Sisters Jordan and Jamie came along, and Jake was a huge help to his mom. Despite some obligatory sibling teasing, Jake loved them with all his heart. As the oldest of the four, his younger siblings idolized him. Starting at young ages, they learned to work hard in the family business together, bagging ice at service stations and hand-pumping oil out of the rail cars into barrels at the tank farm.

Jake absolutely loved to play sports, especially basketball, baseball, and football. Not only did he love to play, but from a young age, he was also an ardent student of sports—becoming an expert on the game, strategy, and execution. When he wasn’t playing, he was cheering loudly for his favorite teams, including the New York Yankees, Utah Jazz, and San Francisco 49ers, whom he grew to love from attending games with his grandparents. In another life, he could easily have been a sports broadcaster, providing analysis during games and talking all day long about sports to anyone that would listen. He would even follow news about his friends’ teams just as closely as his own so they could talk about them the next day.

Jake proudly attended Hillcrest High School in Idaho Falls where he excelled in school and sports. He was proud to be a Hillcrest Knight that graduated as a varsity athlete. After graduating high school in 2008 with high honors, he served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Little Rock Arkansas Mission. He always held a firm belief in his Heavenly Father and served the Lord faithfully in many assignments throughout his life.

By the time he was a young adult, Jake had transformed his natural gift of gab into being a highly skilled communicator. He could talk to anyone, young or old, with ease and confidence. He could approach strangers and make friends easily. He made people feel loved, appreciated, and valued.

In January 2011, Jake met his sweetheart, Chelsie Tueller, at BYU-Idaho. The couple was married for time and all eternity in the Idaho Falls Temple in August of that year and welcomed their first son, Houston, in January of 2014. Much like his father, Jake was so proud to have a son. In 2017, they welcomed another handsome boy, Cooper, to the family. For Jake, it was exciting to think about Houston and Cooper having a bond similar to his and Matt’s.

Jake was a natural father and a great leader to his boys. He quickly began instilling in them a love of sports, hard work, and family fun. By the way he treated Chelsie, Jake taught his sons how to love and respect others. Jake would make daily comments to his boys about how beautiful Chelsie looked. Determined to teach Houston how to be aggressive in sports, he coached him in basketball, t-ball, and soccer. He was so proud of his boys. Besides sports, Jake loved to travel and take his family on adventures to see new places.

Jake had the wonderful opportunity to work in the family business alongside his dad and uncle Kirk at Conrad and Bischoff as Chief Operations Officer. Jake was responsible for the company’s rail facilities in both Idaho Falls and Nampa. He was great with numbers, worked hard, and frequently learned new things to help the company grow. Jake felt strongly that it was his responsibility to carry on the legacy that his grandfather, Jim Sr. had started.

Besides building meaningful relationships with employees and customers, Jake was even more passionate about his love of family, which he considered life’s greatest blessing. Whether it was on the golf course, basketball court, or living room, he was happiest when he was spending time with Chelsie, his boys, other family members, and friends. Our hope and faith is in the Savior, Jesus Christ, and His plan for eternal families, and we look forward to our precious reunion with Jake.

Jake is survived by his wife, Chelsie Tueller Hansen; son, Cooper Hansen; mother, LeAnn Hansen; brother, Matt Hansen; sisters, Jordan (Thomas) Long and Jamie Hansen; grandparents, Coralie Hansen and L. Wade and Dorothy Ball; his aunts and uncles, cousins, and friends.

Services for Jake Hansen will be combined with services for his son, Houston Hansen, and his father, Jim Hansen, and will take place at 11:00 a.m. Monday, December 23, 2019, at the Ammon Foothills Stake Center (3934 East 49th South). The family will visit with friends on Sunday from 6:00-8:00 p.m. and Monday 10:00-10:45 a.m. prior, both visitations at the church. Burial will be in the Ammon Cemetery.

A broadcast of the service will also be available at the Ammon Blackhawk Building (7118 S. Ledgerock Drive).

If you would like to donate to Jake’s family during this time, donations may be given at the Bank of Commerce to the Jake and Houston Hansen Memorial Fund.