Natalie Naslund Hanson died surrounded by her loving family in Lansing, Michigan on August 29, 2017 at age 69. She was the loving wife of Art, the devoted mother of Amy, Katie, and Erik, and a proud grandmother of Jade and Izzy .

Natalie was born July 21, 1948 in Fort Wayne, Indiana the daughter of Howard Naslund and Marjorie Brenneman Naslund. She grew up in Normal, Illinois, met her future husband  at the University of Illinois, transferred together to Louisiana State University, and married Arthur "Art" Hanson June 1, 1969.

Natalie earned her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from LSU in 1970. Following graduation, she taught in a one-room school on Mount Lemmon in Arizona; first grade in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and third grade in Jamestown, Missouri. She earned her Master's degree in Reading from University of Arizona in 1975 and taught remedial reading in Mexico, Missouri. After she earned certification to teach children with learning disabilities, she worked as a learning disabilities teacher in Arlington, Minnesota and Worthington, Minnesota.

Her two greatest passions were being a good mother and a good teacher. She wanted to be a full-time mother to her children and was able to do so for 15 years beginning with the birth of her first child in 1983. In 1998, she went back to teaching elementary school children with learning disabilities in the Lansing (Michigan) School District. She retired in 2012 following a serious illness.

Natalie greatly enjoyed her family's vacations driving through all 48 contiguous states showing her children the beauty and the history of our nation. She and her family were fortunate enough to be able to take two month-long vacations. They enjoyed trips to multiple national parks, big cities, and historic sites. She also enjoyed reading and flower gardening. Most of all, she enjoyed spending time with her children and grandchildren.

She is survived by: her husband, Arthur "Art" Hanson of Lansing, Michigan; her children, Amy (James) Naslund Sanborn of Lowell, Michigan, Kathryn "Katie" (Morris) Naslund Morell of Madison, Alabama, and Erik Grant Hanson of Los Angeles, California; her granddaughters, Jade Morell and Izabelle "Izzy" Morell both of Madison, Alabama; her brother, Richard "Dick" Naslund of Vestal, New York; her sister, Deborah "Deb" Naslund (Randy Acker) of Olympia, Washington; and numerous loving relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by: her father, Howard Naslund; her mother, Marjorie Brenneman Naslund; and her sister-in-law, Cheryl Terrass Naslund.