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Isaac, it should be possible to learn something more about your grandfather. This is exactly the kind of challenge that a genealogist can't resist.
The spelling "THOMSEN" is fairly distinctive, often indicating a family from Denmark or northern Germany. On the other hand, it's often recorded as "THOMPSON." Either way, a quick review of the 1910-1930 Census suggests that Hans was probably born in Iowa or Nebraska, rather than Kansas or Oklahoma -- or at least that there are more suspects in those places. (My own THOMSEN roots are in IA and NE, so I may be able to help with earlier generations.)
Hans is probably long since dead, which means there should be a record of him in the Social Security Death Index. I found a total of 14 men in the SSDI named Hans THOMSEN or THOMPSON who were born 1900-1910, and here again about a third of them are from Iowa. But it's hard to know which one is "our" Hans without some additional information.
What other clues do you have? For example, where and when was Norma PETERSON born, and when/where did they marry? Did they have any children other than your father, John? Where were they living when Hans "separated" from them? Was it a legal separation, leaving a paper trail? Where and when did Norma die?
What kind of work did Hans do? Did he use a middle initial? Did he serve in World War 2? (If so, he may be buried in a National Cemetery.)
Check with your father to see what more he can remember. And feel free to contact me directly, if you'd rather pursue this question privately instead of on the message board.
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