This memorial website was created in loving memory of Jim Hansen, brother, son, and friend. Jim was born on December 28, 1975 in Portland, Maine to Eugene and Joanne Hansen. He attended Portland Public Schools, but was never particularly thrilled with classroom learning. Classroom learning was not essential for Jim, however. He was brilliant and taught himself many subjects - anything he decided he wanted to study. He really had the ability to learn any subject he set his mind to. He loved anything technical and worked in the tech industry for years, most recently at Net Doctors in Seneca, South Carolina.
Jim was a muscian and singer and he loved many different genres of music (except country, he said). He was in several bands over the years and loved just playing for fun with friends. He also enjoyed politics and the polical process. Jim loved movies and television shows, particularly Doctor Who. He was a lifelong fan and an avid Doctor Who collector. He also loved gaming and met a number of his friends through EverQuest. Most of all, he enjoyed good food and time with good friends.
All of these things do not really capture who he was. Jim was a truly beautiful and unique person. One of a kind. Genuine, friendly, caring, sarcastic, opinionated, loving, and strong-willed. He had a great off-beat sense of humor and he loved to debate with his friends. He was the type of person who always tried to find the perfect gift. He cared deeply. There will never be another person like Jim and those who loved him will miss him every day.
In May 2015, Jim suffered a serious anoxic brain injury. He fought very hard to recover, but finally succumbed to health problems resulting from this injury. Jim passed away on January 23, 2016. He is survived by his mother (Joanne Hansen) sister (Susan Boyce), brother-in-law (Merlin Boyce), and many loving friends.
Please leave a tribute below and contribute your pictures and stories to Jim's memorial page. This is intended to be a place to share your memories of Jim and discover the memories of others. This page will be added to over time and will be available forever.
In the early 90s hey-day of BBSes, many of us who had the interest and aptitude to hook up modems to home computers tended to be shy & awkward as the result of years of childhood unpopularity. BBSes gave us a semi-social outlet by interacting with others in forums and chats while staying safely & decidedly AWAY from actually interacting with human people in the flesh.
Jim was not cut from that cloth. When he came across someone he liked on a BBS, he would quickly propose a meet-up at the Great Lost Bear or Spot Shot or Denny's. Some of these people we never saw again of course, but many became fast friends and members of our circle for years.
As I got older, I definitely adopted Jim's way of looking at things -- find people who share your interests, speak your "language" and build your own support system / extended family.
If it weren't for Jim's pushing me out of the basement and into the pool hall, I wouldn't be the person I am today. I told him this when I asked him to stand up with me at my wedding, and I think of him often when I take a look around at my life.
Thanks, Doc. Miss you.
Jim will always be known to me as the guy who invented iced coffee! I met Jim one time when I went to Portland with Rob. We went to the beach and went swinging on the swings together and wound up at Denny's where Jim told me what I'm sure is an infamous iced coffee story worthy of Jack Nicholson in "Five Easy Pieces." I can't do it justice but those of you who've heard it know.
I remember taking a liking to Jim right away and I always looked forward to seeing him when we were in Maine for Christmas. I'm also happy to say that Rob and I got a chance to take him to the Weigh Station, a Doctor Who bar in Brooklyn (he got to into the TARDIS) and I will always be happy and grateful that he is Rob's best man. Jim was always quick with a smile and up for a goonie adventure (though maybe after a little bit of prodding). I'm not sure what else to say. I didn't see Jim often but I miss him every day.
One of Jim's great pleasures was to have his friends together to celebrate his birthday.
For many of us, Jim's birthday was always tied right up with Christmastime, since it was so close. I think that bothered him.
When we weren't all living nearby anymore, and we'd tend to return to Maine at Christmastime. That trip was always too short -- too many people to see, never enough time to see them all. We'd make it a priority to gather on Christmas Eve at the Burns Christmas party, but Jim always tried hard to get us together again on his birthday.
This photo is at the Great Lost Bear in Portland in the late '00s to early '10s.
