[Nfbf-l] Judie Hansen In Orlando Sentinel

[Jody W. Ianuzzi]

Here is the article about Judy Hansen from the Orlando Sentinel:  


Judith Margaret Hansen: Musician also was advocate for the blind


 

While strangers may have viewed Judith Margaret Hansen's blindness as a
disability, her family knew better.

Hansen received a bachelor's degree in music and a master's in French,
achievements that challenged her to live on her own. She led a state
organization for the blind and for years played the piano in a band that she
and her husband started.

 

Hansen, of Orlando, died Sept. 7 after a four-month battle with pancreatic
cancer
<http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/health/diseases-illnesses/cancer-HEDAI
0000010.topic> . She was 66.

Her only child, Erik Hansen, described his mother's life in one word:
remarkable.

"She would read me children's books that were in Braille, she cooked all the
time, played and taught piano and was very instrumental in her community,"
Hansen's son said. "I got your typical life - as if I had a mom that could
see."

Hansen was born blind in Braintree, Mass., in 1944. While her parents
acknowledged her blindness, they never labeled her disabled.

"She was taught by her mother at a very young age, and her mother would not
baby her and not just let her get away with anything," Hansen said. "She may
have burned herself a little more often than others [while cooking], but she
would learn and memorize."

That tough love went a long way. In 1962, Hansen went to Boston University
and lived by herself on the fourth floor of a downtown apartment building.
She graduated with a master's degree in 1967.

Hansen moved to Pensacola in 1970 to be closer to her parents, who had
relocated there.



It was in Pensacola that she met fellow musician Michael Hansen. They
married in 1979, and with two friends they formed a band called the Blue
Diamonds. Michael played the saxophone, flute and clarinet while Judith
worked the keyboards. Jazz was their forte, but they offered a mix of music
to capture any audience.

Erik said his parents had a following and played at the same locations for
15 years. "On Saturday it was in Foley, Ala., and on Thursdays it was at
Bayview Community Center in Pensacola."

Hansen was known as a vibrant, compassionate woman whose ambitions went
beyond music. From 1977 to 1985, she served as president of the Florida
chapter of the National Federation of the Blind. In that role, she became an
advocate for allowing service animals in public places. Later, she worked
for Independence for the Blind of West Florida, helping others to live
independently.

"Judie had a lot of compassion for the people she worked for," said John
O'Dillion, the agency's director of vocational rehabilitation. "Her lessons
certainly came with tenderness and understanding. She was a very gentle
individual."

 

After her husband died in 2003, Hansen moved to Orlando to be closer to her
son, and she became a volunteer organist for First United Methodist Church
of Orlando.

"She had a positive outlook on everything and had a wonderful sense of humor
in everything," said Candi Whitney, the church's congregational-care
associate.

Hansen's guide dog of seven years, Orbit, was at her side when she died,
Whitney said. Orbit now lives with Hansen's son.

Hansen also is survived by her brother, Richard K. Welch of Boston.
Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel, Pensacola, handled arrangements.