By KAREN KLENKE

For The Daily News

NIAGARA, Wis. — Mention the name “FaFa” and it conjures up qualities of the man Danny Hansen: kind, generous, hardworking, and respected in our community.

He has taught us to be curious about life, shared many great stories and provided us with wholesome food over many decades.

He is now in his 80s. He has been a trendsetter over all those years.

When I first met Danny, he was managing the whole food co-op on Carpenter Avenue in Iron Mountain. That was in the 1980s. The store was filled with good flour and baking ingredients, whole grains, dried beans and peas of all kinds in bulk, fragrant teas and spices. It was there he began to bring in produce to sell.

In those years, as always he was an advocate for good wholesome food.

He offered cooking classes on Mexican and Asian food. He was an excellent teacher.

I recall being invited to his farm and he and Lynn would prepare the most amazing meals in their cozy home; chili relleno was my favorite.

His young son, Sam, was the reason for the nickname “FaFa,” which remains to this day. It was the name of his bakery when he purchased breadmaking equipment. His breads were magnificent.

He eventually began farming with zeal. He would pore over seed catalogs to plan his crops. His feet were planted on a piece of land on County O in Niagara, where he would break ground and grow hundreds of pumpkins and gourds, along with the array of vegetables and fruits we would see displayed in his tent on U.S. 2. For years it was a large red-and-white striped tent but recently in a tussle with the wind it has become a smaller tent. No matter — he handled it with his usual accepting demeanor.

But one of his greatest gifts were to the children he would connect with as a substitute teacher. He was able to enter a classroom and fill the children with his charming personality and insightful stories. He was able to adapt to any situation and was creative and beloved by children and staff wherever he taught.

“FaFa” has had a running beef with Mother Nature over the years. Too much rain, not enough rain — typical farm problems. But this year she threw hail at him in late June. He was on the edge of losing this year’s harvest, but somehow his stand was able to supply yellow and red watermelon, cucumbers, corn — all the usual. Pumpkins, but not as many gourds this year.

The question is — can he do another year nose to nose with Mother Nature. The seed catalogs will come after the first of the year. Time will tell what “FaFa” will do –one day at a time.

Karen Klenke photo
DANNY “FAFA” HANSEN receives assistance from Scott Kloppenburg with this year’s supply of pumpkins at Fafa’s produce stand.

Karen Klenke photo
DANNY HANSEN, known as “FaFa” has been providing the local community with wholesome food for many decades.