Elaine Hatch, wife of late Senator Orrin Hatch, dies at 91

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Elaine Hansen Hatch, wife of late Senator Orrin G. Hatch, has passed away. She was 91.

The Hatch Foundation is expressing condolences after the death of Elaine, who passed away Saturday, May 10, 2025, in Utah. She was reportedly surrounded by family during her passing.

“Elaine was the consummate mother and grandmother of the Hatch family. She was the steady foundation, the quiet strength behind Senator Hatch’s decades of public service, and a source of warmth and kindness to all who knew her,” said Matt Sandgren, Executive Director of the Hatch Foundation. “Her life was defined by faith, service, and love for her family. While her husband’s public work took him across the country and around the world, Elaine was his anchor. As we grieve, we find comfort in knowing she is reunited with her beloved Orrin in the faith they both shared. Our hearts are with the Hatch family as we honor the remarkable life she lived.”

Elaine was born to Sydney Hansen and Edries Nelson on September 27, 1933, according to her obituary. The Hansen family was made up of wheat farmers out of Newton, Utah. Elaine graduated from North Cache High School in Logan, Utah, teaching elementary school after graduating from Brigham Young University.

She met Orrin at BYU, and the couple would go on to married on August 28, 1957 in the Salt Lake Temple.

“Elaine said her favorite career was being a mother,” her obituary states. “When Orrin decided to run for the U.S. Senate, Elaine, despite not wanting to move from Utah to Washington, D.C., wholeheartedly supported him and continued to do so for 42 years.”

According to her obituary, Elaine wasn’t influenced by political life, instead focusing on her children and life in church. She reportedly served in the temple weekly for 29 years, naming it her favorite place outside of home. She was an ambassador of her faith abroad and “rarely talked about herself, despite the amazing life she lived,” her obituary states.

When Orrin Hatch retired as a Utah senator in 2019, his service in the role beginning in 1977, Elaine was “excited to live near family again.” Orrin would pass away on April 23, 2022.

She and Orrin are survived by six children — Brent, Marcia, Scott, Kimberly, Alysa, and Jess — 23 grandchildren, and 44 great-grandchildren (with two more on the way).

Funeral arrangements are pending at this time.