Betty L Hankins

Betty L. Hankins, 97, of Grand Island died Thursday, November 24, 2022, at CHI St. Francis Medical Center. Funeral service will 11:00 AM Tuesday, November 29, 2022, at Apfel Funeral Home with Rev. Kelly Karges officiating. Visitation will be 1 hour prior to the service. Burial will follow at a later date at Walnut Hill Cemetery in Council Bluffs, IA. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials to Trinity United Methodist Church, 511 N. Elm St., Grand Island, Nebraska. 68801. Online condolences may be directed to www.apfelfuneralhome.com.

Betty Lucille Hankins was born on June 9, 1925, in Defiance, IA, to Alvin E. and Edith A. (Stevens) Meyers. She grew up in Iowa and graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs, IA, with the class of 1942.

Betty was united in marriage to Everett W. Havick on August 26, 1942, in Baton Rouge, LA, before he left for overseas duty with the U.S. Army Air Force. She then returned to Council Bluffs and worked for Howard Manufacturing Co. until Everett came home from WWII in 1945 and they lived on their farm near Oakland, IA. Everett died on August 26, 1955 (their 13th wedding anniversary).

Betty married Rev. Ray E. Hankins in Council Bluffs on June 3, 1958. The couple last resided in Grand Island, NE, where she was employed by Parkside Nursing Home for over three years and then by the V.A. Hospital as a nursing assistant for over 20 years before retiring on October 22, 1992. Betty also then worked briefly at Lakeview Nursing home, and her last job was being a caregiver for individuals needing 24-hour care in their homes. Ray died on September 30, 1992.

She was a member of the Trinity United Methodist church, was a Stephen Minister, and had been an active member of the United Methodist Women. After moving to Chrysalis Apartments on June 17, 2000, Betty was in charge of the UMW semi-annual rummage sale. Her faith was very strong, and she was able to take a trip to the Holy Land in 1994. Her angel collection was very special to her.

Survivors include her children: Jane E. Casey of Long Valley, NJ; Kenneth E. (Mary Jane) Havick of Omaha, and Lynn R. (Shelly) Hankins of Lincoln; daughter-in-law, Deanna Hankins of McCook; her nine beloved grandchildren, sixteen great-grandchildren, and another great-granddaughter due in March; sister, Alyce D. Duke of Council Bluffs; and many nieces, nephews, and other cherished relatives, friends, and neighbors.

Betty was preceded in death by her parents; stepfather, Milt Densmore; husbands; brothers: Ernest C. Meyers and Floyd P. Meyers; sister, Charlotte P. Tracy; and son, Mark W. Hankins.