“There’s always a hug for you:" Retired couple celebrates Valentine's Day by volunteering

WEST ALLIS -- On Valentine’s Day at Aurora West Allis Medical Center, you couldn't find a more lovely sight than the smiling faces and warm embraces of Jack and Ginny Hansen.

“There’s always a hug for you. That’s the bonus part of it," said Jack Hansen.

For more than two decades, the couple has volunteered at the hospital.

Jack and Ginny Hansen

Angela Christenson

“It relaxes people and it makes them know that they are in a safe place," said Angela Christenson, volunteer services manager.

“It’s just wonderful to be with people instead of sitting in the house with four walls," said Ginny Hansen.

Aurora West Allis Medical Center

In November, they will celebrate their 69th wedding anniversary – inseparable since meeting shortly after Jack returned from World War II.

“We have a dishwasher that’s over 90 years old and it’s still working -- and that’s him," said Ginny Hansen.

"That's me," said Jack Hansen.

Jack Hansen

Ginny Hansen

That dishwasher is 94 and still going strong.

“One fellow said to me today, 'you know, you look really good for your age, Jack.' I said, 'that’s because I have a good woman,'" said Jack Hansen.

Ginny Hansen turned 89 years young on Valentine’s Day.

“Ginny is an energizer bunny," said Christenson.

Ginny and Jack Hansen

And while other women get flowers on Valentine's Day, Ginny Hansen received her usual birthday gift.

“Right in the beginning, he always wrote me a letter -- how thankful he is with our family, with our children. We’re just blessed," said Ginny Hansen.

Ginny Hansen

Jack Hansen

They may never diagnose an illness, or write a prescription -- but for patients at the hospital, a smile or hug from Jack and Ginny Hansen is often just what the doctor ordered.

“We have a lot to be thankful for. A lot to keep going, and a lot to live for," said Ginny Hansen.