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Obituaries
Laura Ellen Hansen was born to Charles Christian Hansen and Emma Lee Kingsland April 10, 1918 in Pioche, Nev.
Laura was the first of nine children born to this union. She had three sisters: Evelyn (Tiss), Grayce and Melba, five brothers: Clarence, Lloyd (Binks), Fred, Dan and Dave. This was a very close knit family and Laura, being the eldest, babysat her younger siblings.
There was a new member of the family about every two years. She was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on July 1, 1928.
Laura was a happy child and loved playing and spending time with her friends, really cousins, Beryl and Barbara Phillips. They loved to play hide and seek in the tall stink weeds that used to grow in Panaca. It made them mad when her dad would mow them down.
They used to play in the old wash that ran through Panaca. She said she had so many happy times.
Laura attended Panaca Grammar School through the eighth grade. She started working at a very early age. She did various jobs in Caliente. One day on her way to Caliente, she came across a man who was on a caterpillar about 3/4 of the way up a rock mountain located on the curve just before the last straight stretch north of Caliente. She stopped to ask questions concerning his spot on that rock mountain.
His name was Curtis LeRoy (Lee) Pilcher, a heavy equipment operator for a construction company that built many roads in Nevada.
Laura and Lee were married Sept. 25, 1937 in Pioche, Nev. Lee being in the construction business, he and Laura moved a number of times to various places in the state.
Laura and Lee had a lot of fun times and they had a happy life together. But they also had very sad times.
While living in Ely, Nev. they were looking forward to the birth of their first child. Due to complications the doctors decided to perform a cesarean, But it was too late to save the baby. Ronald K, Pilcher was stillborn on July 27, 1952. One year later, on Aug. 8, 1953, Curtis LeRoy Pilcher, Jr. was born, also in Ely. While they were living in Alamo, Nev., twins, Jan and Jay, a girl and a boy, were born in Cedar City, Utah. They both lived a short time.
Lee worked construction until the late 1960's. After his retirement, they took Curtis and moved to Lake Lahonton, located close to Fallon, Nev. Lee took a job as a deputy sheriff and was stationed at the lake. His job was to keep things under control at the lake, to make sure the partiers were under control and also collect fees from the park users. Laura was responsible for counting and deposting the monies.
It was while this family was living at Lake Lahonton that Lee died suddenly of a heart attack on March 11, 1970. Curtis was nearing the end of his junior year in high school when his dad died so they remained there until Curtis graduated from high school. Laura and Curtis moved to Panaca in June 1971.
In March of 1973, Laura married Ernest Clarence (Curly) Hildebrand, a friend from the construction days. They moved to Yerrington, Nev. where he owned a piece of property about five miles from town.
Curly had many friends in and around the area and Laura was soon well liked also. Their place was a popular gathering place. Everyone who showed up got fed. Laura was an excellent cook and everyone knew it.
Not long after moving to Yerrington, Laura got a job cooking in a restaurant. She cooked in three different restaurants, because the owners would beg her to work for them.  She worked until her health no longer allowed it.
Laura liked to can fruits and vegetables. She also made jams and jellies of every kind. Their underground cellar was always full. Many cases of canned fruits and vegetables were given away to those in need.
Laura and Curly had a good life together. Curly died in July of 1993 of complications from leukemia. Laura knew that she could soon return back to Panaca, but before she could, she had to sell the place there. She returned home in September 1995.
Laura was happy to be home with family even though she missed her friends in Yerrington. It was tough for Laura to leave her friends but she knew she needed to get back where her family was.
Over the years Laura's health deteriorated to the point where it wasn't possible for her to remain at home. In June of 2005, she entered the care center in Caliente. This was major adjustment for her as she still thought she could care for herself at home. Once she adjusted she decided it wasn't so bad.
Laura passed away Friday, March 9, 2007 at 4:20 a.m. with Dan and June at her side, as they had been for several hours.
Laura is survived by her son Curtis (Janice) Pilcher of Wisconsin, granddaughter Melissa (Scott), sisters Evelyn Neagle and Grayce McBride of Panaca, one brother Dan (June) Hansen of Caliente, and numerous nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by both husbands Lee Pilcher and Curly Hildebrand, infant daughter Jan Pilcher, infant sons Ronald and Jay Pilcher, sister Melba Hansen and brothers Clarence Hansen, Lloyd (Binks) Hansen, Fred Hansen and David Hansen.

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