Novalee Joyce Klein

Novalee Joyce Klein passed away at the age of 95 on September 23, 2026. She resided at Bickford Assisted Living and Memory Care over the last two plus years and received hospice care there in her final months from Affinity Care of Iowa. 

Her memorial service will be held at the Merle Hay Funeral Home Chapel at 4400 Merle Hay Road in Des Moines on October 3, 2026, at (UPDATED TIME) 2:00 p.m.  Visitation will be one hour prior to the memorial service.  A luncheon will immediately follow the service at the Chapel.

Novalee was born on January 2, 1931, in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.  She grew up in Kansas City, Missouri and attended Westport High School.  In 1948 she moved with her family to Denver, Colorado and graduated from the University of Denver in 1951 with a Bachelor of Science Degree.  1951 also included marriage to Ralph Hanson and that union brought forth two sons.  Shawn Hanson was born in 1957, and Scott Hanson was born in 1959. 

Novalee enjoyed her career working in the Federal Government.  She began in 1976 with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  It was also in 1976 that she married Dick Jones.  They enjoyed twenty-six years before he was killed in an auto accident.    Novalee transferred from HUD to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in 1979 and served there as the Executive Administrative Assistant to the Regional Director until her retirement in 2005.  Novalee was thoroughly engaged in her duties and the fulfillment derived from serving Veterans but determined that she should finally endeavor to enjoy retirement following her marriage to Howard Klein in 2004.  They had 9 wonderful years residing at the Elite Lodge of Ashworth prior to Howard’s passing in 2013.

Mom would tell you that faith and family were the cornerstones of her life. In addition to her career, she had been an active volunteer in PTA, Band Mothers, President of the Guild at the Lutheran Home for the Aging in Madrid, children’s choir director, Sunday school teacher, Deacon at her church, and Resident Advocate from the Department of Elder Affairs, State of Iowa in the Fountain West Nursing Home.  In her final years, she enjoyed family gatherings, daily activities at the Elite Lodge and Bickford and frequent visits to the Reiman Gardens in Ames.  She loved trees and plants.  She had a spark and zest for life that gave her youthful exuberance well into her 90s.  A prime example is that she served as the most beautiful “Flower Girl” at Granddaughter Emma’s wedding at the age of 84 in 2015.

Novalee was preceded in death by father Carl Max Kolbe, mother Evelyn Frances Mack, sister Shelley Malan, and husbands Ralph Hanson, Dick Jones, and Howard Klein.

Novalee is survived by Shawn Hanson (Jane Rubin) of Crosslake, MN, Scott E. Hanson (Ruth) of Maplewood, MO, Nancy Hanson of Winterset, IA, sister Sheri LaQuey (Al) of Fort Worth, TX, grandchildren Adam Hanson (Abby), Natalie Kauffman (Kevin), Scott T. Hanson (Valery), Keaton Hanson (Michelle), Emma Crane (Darren), and eleven (11) great grandchildren.

Memorials may be directed to the Reiman Gardens at Iowa State University or Affinity Care of Iowa.