Louise Hansen, a resident of Kendal at Hanover and a 41-year summer resident of the Camp Ground in Oak Bluffs, died Dec. 27, surrounded by her family. She was a lifelong learner, a lover of language and written word, an enthusiastic traveler, music lover, and fearless debater of things political and philosophical.

Louise was born and raised in Anderson, Ind. She and her husband, Jim, lived in Wilbraham and East Longmeadow, and South Windsor, Conn., before moving to Windsor, Vt., in 1991. She was active on the boards of Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Historic Windsor. They moved to Kendal at Hanover in 2008.

During her professional life of 35 years in the East Longmeadow schools, Louise was an elementary classroom teacher, a special needs resource room teacher, coordinator of special needs, and principal of an elementary school.

Her education included a B.A. from DePauw University, an M.A. from Northwestern University, and C.A.G.S. from American International College (AIC). Louise taught a new generation of undergraduate and graduate special needs teachers at AIC, Elms College, and Westfield State College.

She loved skiing and bicycling in Vermont and traveling with her husband in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Her greatest joy was her 41 summers at the family cottage on Martha’s Vineyard, where three generations swam, sailed, dined on the beach, and made lifelong friendships. Louise and Jim ran children’s and youth programs in the 1960s at the Camp Meeting Association and both also served as association directors. She had many friends among both summer and year-round residents of the Island.

She is survived by Jim, her loving husband of 62 years; her son Dave and wife Diane of Montague; her daughter Ellen and husband Steve of Hillsboro, Ore.; her brother Don Flanders of Sun City Center, Fla.; her granddaughter Hope Hansen Forgey and husband Kyle of Denver, Colo.; her grandsons Bruce Young and wife Tessa and Jeremy Young of Montague, and her two great-grandsons, Cameron Forgey of Denver and Archer Young of Montague.

At Louise’s request, a family memorial will be held at a later date.