116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
Friday, October 31, 2025
Blake Alan Hansel
Age: 38
City: Cedar Rapids
Funeral Home
Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service
Friday, October 31, 2025
Blake Alan Hansel
Blake Alan Hansel
Cedar Rapids
Blake Alan Hansel, 38, of Cedar Rapids passed away on Wednesday, October 29, 2025. A Celebration of Life will be held at the Classic Event Center in Cedar Rapids from 2:00 – 5:00 pm, Sunday, November 2, for friends and family.
Blake is survived by his mother, Heidi, of Marion; brother, Kyle, of Marion; and sister, Nicole, of Chicago, IL. He is also survived by his grandparents, Larry and Joleen Twachtmann of Marion, Donald and Nancy Hansel of The Villages, FL, and David and Mary Kay Hawkins of Monticello, IL; father Timothy (Amy) Hacker of Las Vegas, NV, as well as many aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Blake was preceded in death by his father who raised him, Jeffrey; grandparents, Richard and Dolores Hacker of Humboldt; and great-grandparents, Henry and Milda Twachtmann of Lowden, Mary Hansel and Virginia Downs, both of Earlville.
Blake was born in Ames on June 8, 1987. He grew up in Marion and graduated from Marion High School in 2005. Blake attended Webster University and graduated in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in media communications. Most of his career was spent working at GoDaddy and Transamerica.
Blake’s lifelong passion for music was a defining part of who he was, connecting him with countless friends along his journeys. His adventurous spirit took him around the world, with Thailand holding a special place in his heart. Blake’s presence radiated warmth, humor, and kindness. He had a remarkable ability to uplift those around him and was genuinely devoted to spreading joy.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in Blake’s name may be directed to Broken Strings (www.broken-strings.org), a charity devoted to providing guitars for students in Iowa schools.
Please share a memory of Jane at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.

Daily Newsletters