Care Hansen

Our amazing, beautiful, and so very loved first-born child, sister, grandchild, and friend, Carolyn “Care” Kate Hansen left this world on Thursday, December 14th, 2023 at the tender age of 21, to return home to Heaven. Care was a warrior who valiantly fought a long, difficult battle with mental illness and tried so hard to stay with us as long as possible. Each day Care survived was a victory, and we are So. Very. Grateful. for each and every one of those days that we were blessed to have Care in our lives. Our family will never be the same.

Care packed an amazing amount of life into their short 21 years on this earth. Care was born on May 8, 2002 at Jordan Valley Hospital in West Jordan, Utah, to thrilled parents Jeremiah and Kathryn (Katy) Hansen. She was their first child, as well as the first grandchild on both sides, and was welcomed into the world with great anticipation and much love and affection from the new parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

Care was later joined by four younger siblings: Kylie (19), Isaiah (16), Noah (10), and Carmen (9). Care lived - both figuratively and literally - for their siblings. The amount of love she showed to them, and still has for them, was awe-inspiring and will never be forgotten. Care was constantly spending time with the siblings, taking them on food and treat outings, to activities, movies, and other events, and even on sibling trips. Care came up with so many ways to spend time with the other children and help them feel loved and be happy. Care’s brothers and sisters were the most important thing in the world to them.

Care had an amazing love for all animals and living creatures. As a young child, she loved to pet bees and hold spiders and snakes. Care had many pets throughout life, including a cat, turtle, ferrets, snake, lizards, fish, frogs and toads, rats, chickens, hamsters, and various birds that Care rescued and rehabilitated. Currently, Care has a beloved Seppala Siberian Husky named Mollie, who brought Care so much comfort.
Care was incredibly smart and dedicated and did well in whatever they put their mind to. They took school and study very seriously and always got excellent grades, even pulling off a perfect 4.0 many quarters throughout middle and high school. (All this, despite the extra hardship of struggling with dyslexia that wasn’t diagnosed or accommodated until partway through their junior year in high school.) Care attended South Jordan Montessori Preschool, Southland Elementary School, Oquirrh Hills Middle School, and Riverton High School, participating in many choirs and plays, and earning countless honors and recognitions along the way, including Eagle of the Quarter, Student of the Month, National Honor Society, Academic Letters, and so on. Care graduated from Riverton High School in 2020 and later received an Associate’s degree from Salt Lake Community College in 2022. Care was currently working to get into a nursing program and could be found studying hard for finals right up until their passing.

One of Care’s favorite hobbies was to participate as a background actor in movies and tv shows. Care was a featured extra in the Scott Sterling and other Studio C sketches, several religious films, including The Chosen, some Hallmark and similar Christmas movies, several seasons of the High School Musical series, and others. Care enjoyed involving family and friends in these experiences, and we were always excited to see Care on the screen and their name in the credits. Care’s professionalism and talent made them a favorite of several casting directors and was always invited back.

Care was always very sensitive to those with special needs and made some very dear friends through interactions with peer tutoring, special needs seminary, and while working as a camp counselor at an adaptive summer camp during high school. Care’s love for these friends was sincere, and they really seemed to understand that.

Care had a love for the LGBTQ community, of which they were a part. Care came out publicly as non-binary several years ago and has since been exploring their gender, using various pronouns, and even briefly testing out a masculine name, by which some people have known Care recently. Care had also begun to reconnect with their feminine side and shared several experiences with us demonstrating that. One thing for certain is that though Care was known in different ways by different people, they were a shining example of love to all. Care touched the lives of so many members of the LGBTQ community, making countless friends and helping them to feel accepted and to accept themselves. Care enjoyed attending a variety of activities and events, including those at Encircle, Love Loud, and the Pride Festival, proudly participating in the parade each year. Our family always loved and accepted Care for who they were. We hope all will honor Care’s legacy by continually striving to always show love and acceptance to others.

Care’s many passions included compassionate care and nursing. Care became a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) during high school and worked at Legacy House of South Jordan (an assisted living and memory care facility) for over four years, starting as a senior in high school and up until their passing. At the time of their passing, Care was one of the most senior CNAs and Med Techs there and took the job very seriously. Care was a healthcare hero during the pandemic and worked tirelessly through several outbreaks at their facility. Care had such a love for the residents there and became close with many of them, being an integral part of the last months, days, and even moments of so many. It was a heavy burden and took a toll on Care to be around during the deaths of so many people who truly mattered to them, but Care sincerely loved these people and was honored to be with them through these times.

Another of Care’s great passions was traveling and humanitarian work, which often went hand in hand for Care. A lifetime of travel was packed into Care’s short 21 years, with visits to 21 countries before turning 20, including every continent except Antarctica. Care’s father was their travel buddy throughout most of these travels, visiting nearly all those countries together, often just the two of them, as they explored the world and adventured together, having incredible experiences and making unbelievable memories that will last forever. Care went on humanitarian trips to Uganda, Kenya, Paraguay, Peru, and Thailand, including spending several months living abroad in Africa as a humanitarian worker during the Covid pandemic. Care truly loved and cared about people on a very personal level and touched the lives of countless people in countries all around the world, where they still have friends and loved ones to this day. Traveling is one of our family’s favorite past times, and we were blessed to go on many family trips with Care. Care was always up for an adventure and made our travels so much fun. We will always cherish these memories.

Survived by parents Jeremiah and Katy, siblings Kylie, Isaiah, Noah, and Carmen, grandparents, a great-grandmother, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

To our dear, wonderful Care: Your presence in our lives is one of the greatest gifts we could ever have received. You brought so much joy and beauty into the world. We take comfort in the knowledge that you are no longer suffering, but life without you is going to be SO hard. We will miss you every day. We know you will be there to greet us when the time comes for us to be reunited. Until then, stay near and continue to share your love with us, as we will with you.

In lieu of flowers, the family is establishing a fund to honor Care by making future contributions to events, organizations and individuals that Care held close to their heart. Donations can be sent via Venmo to @jerhansen. Please note the donation is intended for Care's fund.

Funeral services for Care will be held at 11AM on Friday, December 22, 2023 at Larkin Mortuary - Riverton, 3688 West 12600 South in Riverton, Utah. Viewings will take place at the same location Thursday evening from 6-8PM as well as Friday prior to services beginning at 9:30AM. Interment will follow at the Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park - South Valley in Riverton, Utah.

Funeral services will be streamed via Zoom for those wishing to attend virtually. To watch the previously held services, please click the "Watch Services" link above.