Betsy Bishop Hankins

Betsy Bishop Hankins of Chatham, Virginia, went to be with her Lord on Wednesday, September 23, 2009. She died at home after a brief illness surrounded by her children. Born on October 13, 1934 in Danville, Virginia, Betsy was the daughter of the late Roy and Ruby Bishop. She was a 1952 graduate of George Washington High School. Betsy had a quiet and gracious spirit always seeing life from a positive perspective in spite of being beset with rheumatoid arthritis and most recently pancreatic cancer. She was an inspiration to others as she battled for decades a debilitating illness with the same quiet grace that she lived her life. Betsy was a devoted mother and wife. She loved her four children and was always supportive and proud of them in all circumstances. Her greatest love was her husband Willard Lee Hankins who predeceased her on February 8, 2009. They were married for 54 years. She loved music and singing. She was especially happy at holidays when her children and grandchildren would gather and play and sing music. She was a member of the Chatham Baptist Church where she loved singing in the choir.
She is survived by a son, Steven L. Hankins and his wife, Jacqueline Hankins, of West Chester, Ohio; three daughters, Beth Anderson and her husband, Phillip Anderson, of Roanoke, Virginia, Laura Adcock, of Chatham, Virginia, and Betsy Lynne Maynard and her husband, Jeff Maynard ,of Wake Forest, North Carolina; five grandchildren, Benjamin Anderson, of Arlington, Virginia, Jordan Anderson, of Auburn, Alabama, William Anderson, of Knoxville, Tennessee, Katharine Hankins and Nathan Hankins, of West Chester, Ohio; two stepgrandchildren, Forest and Rachel Maynard, of Wake Forest, North Carolina; an aunt, Edith Haar, of Danville, Virginia; cousins, JoAnn Patterson, of Summerville, South Carolina, Debbie Yancey, of Danville, Virginia, Ronnie Duffy, of Durham, North Carolina, Dennis Duffy, of Durham, North Carolina, Tommy Haar, of Danville, Virginia; brothers and sister-in-laws, Harold and June Hankins, of Blacksburg, Virginia, Stanley and Peggy Hankins, of Greensboro, North Carolina, Ryland and Jane Hankins, of Chatham, Virginia, Robert and Ruth Hankins, of Chatham, Virginia, Cecil and Guy Montgomery, of Tacoma, Washington, Hilda and Landon Christian, of Roanoke, Virginia, Ruth Hankins, of Forney, Texas; numerous nieces and nephews; a special lifelong friend, Eleanor Haskins, of Chatham, Virginia; and two special caregivers, Betty Younger, of Chatham, Virginia and Tammy White, of Altavista, Virginia.
The family will receive friends at Scott Funeral Home Chatham, Virginia, on Friday evening, September 25, 2009 between 7 and 8:30 p.m. A Memorial Service to honor her life will be held at Chatham Baptist Church on Saturday morning, September 26, 2009, at 11 a.m. with the Reverend Charles Warnock III presiding, following a private burial. The Family requests that contributions in her memory be made to the Virginia Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, 3805 Cutshaw Ave. Richmond, Virginia 23230.