Barbara Hanlon

Barbara Sidoriak Hanlon

Barbara Hanlon, 86, returned to God’s care peacefully on the morning of January 1, 2026 while residing at the Diamond Care Nursing facility in Bridgewater, South Dakota.

Born Barbara Sidoriak on June 28, 1939 in New York City, she was the first of three children born to Theodore and Anne Sidoriak of Stratford, Connecticut. She was also the first in her family to achieve a college degree after attending Danbury State Teachers College in Connecticut. Her first teaching assignment was at the elementary school level in her home state.

During the Berlin Crisis in the early 1960s, a fateful double-date with some servicemen on leave from their assignment in Germany brought her together with Dean (Bill) Hanlon of Emery, South Dakota. The match resulted in marriage in July of 1964 and she joined Bill in his home town.

While he ran the family hardware store and later a plumbing and heating business, she resumed her love of teaching for more than 25 years, leading the Emery Kindergarten program and later the 2nd and 3rd grades. She also worked with gifted and special education students at the school and held several leadership roles throughout her teaching career.

Along the way, Barb and Bill welcomed three daughters: Laura Hanlon of Valley City, North Dakota (children Sean and Molly Baumeister); Julie Hanlon-Johnson (Matt) of Amery, Wisconsin (children Eli and Sylvie Johnson); and Carolyn Meyer (Craig) of Bridgewater, South Dakota (children Curt Meyer, Cari Terveen (Josh), Cate Uptagraaft (Hunter), Casey Meyer and Cara Meyer). This fall she welcomed her third great-grandchild.

Barbara was never one to brag or crave the spotlight. In fact, she was very much the opposite. Celebrating her life would be incomplete without also celebrating the many lives she touched.

The Hanlons were members of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Emery where she assisted with the Sunday school program, participated in the occasional choir and later served in the church vestry.

Her selfless outreach to students and others was always present in her life. Her gentle compassion enlightened hundreds of young learners, provided for a foreign exchange student from Yugoslavia (current-day Slovenia), and assisted others with reading comprehension and understanding society and the world around them.

Far from her busy East Coast roots, Barbara appreciated the gentle pace of the Midwest, the quiet solitude of camping in the Black Hills, and connecting with nature in her gardens. She enjoyed life and its many facets and took great pride in the accomplishments of her children and their families.

Barbara was preceded in death by her husband, her parents and her sister, Sonya Hitt. Her brother, Paul Sidoriak (Diane) continues to reside in Connecticut.

A private prayer service to celebrate her life will be held by the family followed by internment at the Emery Community Cemetery.

In lieu of gifts, the family requests donations to the Friends of South Dakota Public Broadcasting (sdpbfriends.org) which supports a statewide network of free radio, television and online programming for South Dakota families. SD Public Broadcasting was Barbara’s favorite educational and cultural resource throughout her life.